


The Perils of Self-Immolation

by Makkakaus



Series: The Kurosaki Enju Archives [1]
Category: Bleach
Genre: F/M, Fix-It of Sorts, Fix-it fic, Fluff, Fullbringer OC, Male-Female Friendship, SI as Ichigo's older sister, Self-Indulgent, Self-Insert, TYBW lore compliant, not LN compliant
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-17
Updated: 2021-02-02
Packaged: 2021-03-05 04:02:27
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 51,171
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25328239
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Makkakaus/pseuds/Makkakaus
Summary: Kurosaki Enju is born three years before her little brother Ichigo. It makes less of a difference than she hopes, and all the difference in the world.SI OC as Ichigo's older sister.
Relationships: Hirako Shinji/Original Character(s)
Series: The Kurosaki Enju Archives [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1849021
Comments: 138
Kudos: 356





	1. The Flame that Protects

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote this at 1am while waiting for a BBS banner to drop ahaha.

_The Agent of the Shinigami Arc (1/3)_

* * *

Kurosaki Enju is born on a cold winter morning just as a snowstorm breaks and the sun shines for the first time in months. Masaki laughs despite the pain and exhaustion as she hugs her daughter to her chest. "She's definitely a good omen, Isshin," she jokes, but deep in her heart she knows it to be true. "She brought us the sun."

Isshin's wrinkles smooth out for the first time in over a day since his beloved wife had gone into labor. "You gave your daddy some new wrinkles, little princess," he laughs, reaching over to gently touch his new daughter's head. "What name did you pick for her?"

"Enju," Masaki says softly. "The fire that protects." She hugged her child close. "I was really worried, even though Urahara-san said it would be fine. Given… You know. But she's just a happy, healthy, baby."

The newly named Enju lets out a warbling cough, then wails her displeasure. Masaki and Isshin stare for a moment, then laugh in unison. Masaki gently rocks Enju until her wails die down to sniffles.

"She's definitely healthy," Isshin chuckles. He leans over to kiss Masaki on the forehead tenderly. "Thank you so much, Masaki. I love you."

"I love you too, you big goof," Masaki returns, eyes full of love. "Now take your daughter so that I can sleep. I'm about to pass out."

"Yes ma'am."

* * *

Kurosaki Enju is unusually quiet and well-behaved, almost to the point of being eerie, and very rarely smiles, but Masaki and Isshin love their daughter regardless. She does what she's told and eats everything on her plate and never fusses more than needed to get their attention for something.

"It's almost like she was already raised," Masaki jokes. "She's such a smart little girl."

"Well of course she is," Isshin grins. "She's your kid."

Enju watches them both, her usual stoic expression softening a touch.

* * *

Three years later, Kurosaki Ichigo is born. Isshin is overjoyed to have a child with Masaki's colors, knowing how unlikely it is for lighter colors to be passed down. Enju sticks to Ichigo's side every waking moment, much to her parent's delight, not bothered when Ichigo cries or wakes her up at night or takes her food.

"What a good big sister you are, Enju," Isshin croons. "When I was Ichigo's age, my cousins picked on me all the time." Enju shrugs, looking away, but there's a pleased tilt to the side of her mouth.

* * *

Enju is six when Masaki finally notices.

"Enju, sweetie, can you see ghosts?"

Enju looks up at Masaki with large eyes, then points to the floating old man hovering outside the living room window.

Masaki blinks, sighs, and goes to make a phone call.

* * *

"My, it's rare to hear from you, Masaki-san. Is something the matter?"

"Sort of. Enju can see ghosts."

"Oh my. Well, it was more likely than not, given her heritage."

"Yes." She pauses and bites her lip. "I'd like to bring her to meet you. Just- just in case."

There's a beat of silence on the other end of the phone.

"Very well, then. I assume this would be a secret from Isshin?"

Masaki laughs softly. "He'd make a fuss."

"Very true. I'll see you soon, then."

* * *

Urahara puts the phone down and sighs softly. More secrets. Finding out a secret and hiding it is one thing. Being given one to protect is another.

He goes to prepare the tea and some snacks. Kids like rice crackers, right?

* * *

He sees what Masaki had meant years ago when she'd told Urahara in one of their very few accidental meetings at the supermarket that Enju seems wise beyond her years. It isn't just the quiet demeanor; her very soul feels older than it should. But the scanners in the room tell him that it's still just an ordinary, if spiritually aware, child. He shelves his doubts to one side to investigate later.

"Welcome to my humble shop~ I'm the store owner Urahara. It's a pleasure to meet you, Enju-chan!"

Enju gives a small bow. Cute.

They sit down at the kotatsu in the living room, Enju's side glance towards the screen doors telling him that she notices Jinta and Ururu's (poorly) hidden presence.

"Enju, Urahara-san is the same as us," Masaki explains. "He can also see ghosts. He's something of an expert, actually." Urahara grins and gives a peace sign when Enju gives him a dubious look. "Your father can't see ghosts. So if something happens that he can't help, and I'm not there, you should come here, okay? I know you know the bus system already."

Enju looks at Masaki considering and nods. She holds a hand out towards Urahara, who reaches out to accept whatever she's giving him.

It's a caramel candy. He looks up at her, a more genuine smile rising to his lips. "Why, thank you." Enju nods in reply.

* * *

Another year passes peacefully. Enju, now seven, holds Ichigo's hand as they wait in the hospital hallway on the bench outside the private room while Isshin waits inside with their mother. Ichigo clings to his big sister, the only familiar thing in this white, bad-smelling building, and decides he doesn't like hospitals. Enju is just grateful the rooms are fairly soundproof.

The hours pass and Ichigo fidgets, occasionally tugging Enju's arm to ask for a snack or for her to read him a book. Enju feeds him slices of apple and peach and some crackers and reads until her voice is hoarse. The passing nurses smile fondly at the sight. Such a good big sister and such a well-behaved little brother.

Finally, in the dead of a summer night, Kurosaki Karin and Yuzu join the family.

* * *

Enju doesn't hover over the twins nearly as much as she hovered over Ichigo four years ago, but she hovers nonetheless. This time, it's Ichigo who looks on with awe and determination.

"I feel like we'll lose our spots as parents if this keeps up," Masaki laughs, and she watches Enju instruct Ichigo on the proper way to hold a baby. "First Enju, now Ichigo. I guess it just runs in the family."

"It's certainly a Shiba thing, if not exactly the same," Isshin grins. "Family first, always and no matter what." He ruffles Ichigo and Enju's head. Ichigo grumbles, but Enju just ignores Isshin, having learned that attention of any kind only spurs him on. Isshin pouts but drops his hands, but he's smiling again seconds later. He'd never thought on that night almost a decade ago when he'd agreed to give up everything he'd had to his name that he could ever feel so fulfilled again. He is so, so blessed.

* * *

Ichigo joins karate and comes home the first day with a bruised cheek and tears. Enju nods and picks up the wooden bokken Isshin keeps in the living room to practice with, and Masaki laughs as her husband has to pick his daughter up clear off the ground to stop her from walking all the way across town to the Arisawa residence and challenge their daughter to a duel for Ichigo's honor. it doesn't stop Enju from doing her best to take out his eye with her heel.

Ichigo cheers up seeing his sister indignant on his behalf, and promises he'll try harder. Enju hugs him again, then plods off to finish the manga she'd been reading before Ichigo had come home.

"You know," Masaki remarks, "I feel really bad for anyone who might want to date Ichigo in the future. They'll probably have to be able to stand toe to toe with Enju before Ichigo even notices them."

Isshin barks a laugh. "As it should be! And anyone that tries to pick on him will find themselves regretting the day they crawled out of their mother's belly, I bet."

"Isshin! Language." Masaki slaps his arm but laughs.

* * *

The happiness doesn't last. It never does.

The night that Masaki dies is the start of a long, long nightmare. It begins similarly to how it goes in another story a world away. Ichigo sees a girl seemingly in need of help and runs towards her. But here, Enju is there to grab him before he can take more than two steps, dragging him back. Her senses are going haywire; she can feel the Grand Fisher's hollow reiatsu despite his cloaking. Masaki is on guard instantly, trusting both her own instincts and her daughter's.

It's not enough. Yhwach steals the powers of all "impure" Quincies, and Enju collapses. Masaki loses her powers and is cut down by Grand Fisher, her soul devoured. Her corpse protects Ichigo and Enju.

* * *

When Enju wakes up again, everything has changed. Her body, formerly healthy and strong, has been weakened. Not severely, not even to the point that her everyday life will be impeded, but she can feel the difference. Something has been taken away from her. And that's only the start of it.

Ichigo won't speak, and Yuzu and Karin won't stop crying. Young as they are, all of them understand that their mother will not be coming back.

Isshin is useless. He stares at Masaki's picture, not responding to any of them. Even after he finally gets up and goes about arranging her funeral, he is more of a robot moving on a list of predetermined instructions. Something ugly wells up within Enju at the sight.

The funeral is small, but many people attend. Masaki was well-loved in the neighborhood. Enju does a fairly impressive imitation of a stone, not shedding any tears, barely responding. (If she starts crying, she might never stop.)

Enju briefly catches sight of Urahara and remembers what Masaki once told her. Unfortunately, this is not a matter related to ghosts and spirits.

* * *

Enju gathers up her siblings. She makes breakfast, lunch, and dinner, always saving a portion for Isshin who eats maybe every other day. He doesn't seem like he'll collapse from physical malnutrition so she leaves him be.

She understands the pain of loss, but there's more important things right now. She numbs herself and carries on. And if a curl of bitter resentment starts to grow, well, she numbs that too.

She tucks her siblings into bed, Yuzu and Karin sharing one and Ichigo sharing another with her, though nowadays she goes to bed later and later. She cleans up around the house, makes sure the trash is put out on the right day, checks their mail, tacks on reminders for Isshin to pay certain bills. When he forgets one and they get a warning in the mail, she takes the cash Masaki stored away in various places in the house and walks to the bank to pay in person, claiming with a small, demure smile that she's a big girl doing errands for her papa. She hangs up a "TEMPORARILY CLOSED UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE" sign on the clinic door, directing them to the nearest closest clinic.

They start school again. She washes their uniforms, dries them and irons them out, prepares bentos in the morning as well as their breakfast, and sends them on their way, before going back inside to finish up the rest of the morning chores. She's late for school every day. She's called to the principal's office, and leaves with permission to skip homeroom. None of her classmates dare to ask why. She's never been sociable, but she's downright nasty now when bothered. She does her share of any group work or classroom cleaning without complaint. No one can really say anything.

Ichigo mourns the hardest, blaming himself for Masaki's death. But with Enju to walk him home from school every day, and making the siblings do homework together after dinner, he can't stay out until sunset and shut himself away from the family. He clams up until Karin gets fed up, then they all cry together and promise to not leave each other. Enju makes them pudding for dessert.

Isshin is absent in all of this.

(The bitter, black feeling in her heart grows.)

* * *

Isshin gets better, slowly. He starts to eat more and talk more. He begins sorting through the clinic's supplies and medicines, tossing anything expired, sanitizing surfaces, making lists of things he needs.

It's not good enough for Enju. She throws herself deeper and deeper into the housework to distract herself. Not a speck of dust can accumulate before she's present with a cloth. She spends hours with her siblings, helping them with their homework.

Summer break arrives. The twins and Ichigo finish their homework in the first week and go out to play. A month after Kurosaki Masaki's death, Isshin finally reopens the clinic, able to at least pass for having recovered from his wife's death.

It's not good enough. The resentment in her heart remains, no longer growing, no longer as thick and heavy, but it doesn't go away. It stirs when she sees Yuzu smiling at Isshin, when she sees Ichigo and Karin scowling with hidden fondness when Isshin rubs his chin on their cheeks.

Isshin doesn't try to hug her or apologize. It's probably for the better; she's not sure what she'd do if he tried. Out of shame, or perhaps assuming it's what she prefers, he more or less leaves her to herself. He'll trip over himself getting whatever she asks for in the rare occasion that she does, but he makes no attempt to offer anything. Enju's quite sure she could ask for a diamond encrusted toilet cover and he'd get one for her. It doesn't make her feel any better.

* * *

The matter of the fact is, Isshin used her to escape into his grief, whether he meant to or not, whether he was aware of exactly what he was doing or not. He saw the house well-cared for and his children fed and healthy and took advantage of the fact that his absence would not result in anyone else's death to escape by himself, and Enju will never forgive him for it.

She buries her own guilt deep beneath the indignation and resentment, beneath her love for Ichigo and Yuzu and Karin and her oath that they will not come to harm. She knows how the story goes, but this is no longer just a story. This is real life and she will only have one shot at this.

* * *

With Isshin recovered and her siblings bouncing back with the sort of youth and strength innate to strong children, Enju curbs back her presence. Homework after dinner is no longer mandatory, and she stops walking them home, allowing them to visit friends or stop by shops instead.

Enju now takes her time walking back from school, often detouring to visit the bamboo forest garden or to lose herself in the bustle of the mall. She puts it off for a week, then makes the trip down to Urahara Shoten.

* * *

Urahara is waiting for her outside the shop when she arrives, expression hidden by the shadow of his hat and the fan covering his mouth and nose.

"It's been a while, Enju-chan," he chirps with false cheer. "I'm surprised you still remember me."

"I do. May I come in?" Her voice is soft and rough from disuse. He frowns behind his fan.

"Of course." He turns around and leads her in, past the shop front. She bows briefly to Tessai at the cash register, who bows solemnly in return.

He brings her to the living room, the same one she'd sat in years ago. It's mostly the same still, though with a couple more decorations here and there. She waits for him to sit down at the kotatsu before sitting down herself. Polite, this one. Perhaps a bit too polite. The excessiveness of it feels like a shield.

"How can I help you?" he prompts. Enju takes a moment to look around the room without really looking, and he can feel her spreading her senses. Impressive. She seems to almost squirm without moving, as though trying to delay answering, before finally meeting his eyes. He puts his fan down as a show of respect.

She takes a deep breath.

"I lost my Quincy powers the night that Kurosaki Masaki died. Since a living soul becoming a shinigami has a high chance of death, I'd like to be trained to use my Fullbring to fight instead."

Urahara feels his mind freeze and reboot. Kurosaki Enju knows about both her Quincy heritage and her hollow-stained powers. Two things that neither Masaki nor Isshin would have been foolish enough to let slip to their children.

"Am I correct to assume that you did not learn of this from either of your parents?"

Enju looks down and nods, her fists clutched so hard the knuckles turn white. He examines her expression and purses his lips, then sighs.

"A botched reincarnation?"

She nods.

"What rank were you?" Surely a high ranked officer, to even know about the existence of Fullbringers. He makes a mental list of potential officers he can remember.

She shakes her head. "I wasn't a shinigami."

…

What.

She looks back into his eyes. "Before I was Kurosaki Enju, I was a normal human living a normal life. I can't remember my name anymore, or where I lived. But I remember a story I read, about a boy named Kurosaki Ichigo who becomes a shinigami to save his family and friends."

Urahara can feel his mind spinning so fast it almost burns.

"In that story, a shopkeeper named Urahara Kisuke helped him. Urahara Kisuke was actually the former captain of the twelfth division. Before that, he was under Shihouin Yoruichi's commend in the second division."

Urahara clutches his fan as he listens to the girl spill secrets that she should have no way of knowing. She looks up at him with a mournful smile.

"You succeeded, you know. In the end. Ichigo was able to defeat Aizen, and he was locked away in Muken."

Disbelief and relief alike swell up in him, threatening to overwhelm him.

"… Is this another one of Aizen's ploys?" His tone is airy while his mind spins. He feels Tessai stir and approach, signaled by his fluctuating reiatsu.

Enju tilts her head and thinks for a moment, then asks softly, "Is it possible for Aizen to know your bankai?"

Urahara's eyes widen as Tessai slides open the screen door behind Enju, who turns to give a half-bow in her seated position. The former kido corps commander looks between them, and leaves reluctantly when Urahara waves him away with a fake smile. The shopkeeper turns back to Enju, Tessai's interruption having given him the time to steady himself.

"No," he says softly. "There is only one person who ever knew of, and knows, my bankai." If she can name his bankai, he will have to believe her story.

She nods solemnly at the confirmation, and says, "Your bankai is Kannonbiraki Benihime Aratame, and it has the ability to restructure anything it touches," and Urahara prepares to have the world as he knows it change forever.

* * *

Her story is wild and fantastical, but he cannot deny it, not with the knowledge she reveals. Reincarnation, but from a different world. One where a century of struggles, of a fugitive's life, of a thousand years of history and enough blood spilled to fill a lake, are all but the whims of an author.

"I'd hoped that it wouldn't matter," Enju explains. "A story is vastly different from real life. Things don't always fall into place conveniently. Kurosaki Enju didn't even exist. So I thought of it as nothing more than a possible version of events."

So she hadn't tried to save Masaki, and Masaki had paid the ultimate price.

Urahara tips his hat in sympathy. It had been a logical assumption to make, and in a way, Enju had tried to stop it in her own way; by walking to and from little Ichigo's karate lessons. Hoping that changing how the event happened might derail it completely. But Juha Bach cared not about the situations of the Quincy that he'd selected, and Masaki had died anyways.

It's good to know that they win in the end, though everything he hears about the "Quincy arc" as Enju had called it has him wanting to hit his head against a wall. Now that they know what is coming, they can easily shore up their defenses and prepare against the enemy's assault, but the amount of preparation and set-up that will be needed to get the Gotei-13's cooperation and to have them believe him and Enju will be astronomical. And that's not counting the _actual_ preparations afterwards.

But there's no other alternative; even if things go perfectly as they did in Enju's story, the losses will be too much. And Ichigo does not deserve to have to suffer the way he did in the story.

First things first, though. It's good to know that they have time. Juha Bach's assault will not begin until Ichigo is fifteen. Aizen will not make his move until he obtains the hogyoku, his plans already settling in place. The timer will begin when the opportunity to hide the hogyoku in a gigai for a weakened shinigami shows itself.

"I'm surprised you still came to me, knowing what you know," Urahara comments. He knows most of all that he is sometimes at his worst when trying to save people and worlds. When he cannot afford to be picky with his methods.

"I trust you," she replies, as though it were the easiest thing to say, and he has to admit the steadfastness of her belief is at once humbling and frightening. "You apologized to Ichigo afterwards. And you always tried to help him, even if it wasn't always the best way. But he wasn't the sort to complain or tell you what was wrong either, so it couldn't be helped." She pauses, then adds, "but if you repeat those mistakes I won't be as forgiving as he was."

There will be no ostracizing him from the spirit world should he use the final Getsuga Tenshou and lose his powers, no leaving him to stew in his own mind until he turns to the likes of Kugo Ginjo for even just a scrap of control over his life. Enju will make sure of that.

Urahara tips his hat again. "I will strive to correct the mistakes the hypothetical me made."

Enju makes a soft humming noise. "Will you help me, then? With my Fullbring?"

"I am certainly willing to help. However, I believe Isshin will object."

Her placid expression slips for a moment, something dark and ugly replacing it before she smooths her forehead out once more. "He doesn't pay me any attention when I don't want him to." The which is never is left unspoken but hovers in the air anyways. "If he asks I can just say I went for a walk or to the mall with friends."

"Very well then."

They arrange to meet twice a week, on Wednesdays and Saturdays. Urahara watches her leave and wishes her luck. Then he goes back inside to make a call.

"Hello hello? How's my favorite kitty doing? You won't believe what just happened."

* * *

Truth to be told, Urahara's specialty isn't with Fullbringers. He's only heard the term and theory in passing, among the spiritually aware community in the human world, and those people are as cagey with their secrets as the best of the Onmitsukido. But the basis of their power is related to the hollow's ability to absorb reishi, and there is no one in existence who has studied hollows more intensively than he has.

Also, he's really good at hacking.

The training process isn't nearly as dangerous as the one for becoming a shinigami that future him apparently put together, but he's still a bit taken aback at the amount of trust that the oldest Kurosaki sibling has in him. Granted, it could in part be the fact that he understands the loneliness she feels. She has people that treasure her love her, but the knowledge that she holds, that she refuses to burden anyone else with, isolates her from everyone - except him, now that he knows.

Well, him and Yoruichi now, but Enju holds a near fanatical amount of reverence for the former, on account of Yoruchi being "a badass who knew what she wanted and got it, and also really pretty, and also a really cute kitty." Yoruichi had "rewarded" Enju with the privilege of having her on her lap while Urahara hashed out the details of their new training schedule and both of them had been happy winners that night. Yoruichi finds Enju absolutely adorable, and can often be found curling around the young girl's feet or up on her shoulders when they take breaks.

Such as right now, as Enju near about collapses, gasping heavily. For all that the girl is capable beyond her years, she has not worked on her physical conditioning more than the usual amount to stay in good shape, and that is the first thing they tackle. Fullbring uses up physical stamina, so the more she has, the stronger her fullbring and the longer she can use it. Which means running laps.

"You're getting better." Urahara grins at the glare she shoots him. Enju absolutely hates physical conditioning. To her credit, she does it without complaint. "I think we can move onto meditation now."

Enju grimaces but nods, sitting down with her legs crossed, her hands on her knees. She closes her eyes and moments later her reiatsu stirs and beings to fluctuate around her.

Yoruichi jumps off her shoulders to let her focus and meanders back to Urahara's side, jumping up on a rock so that she's level with his face.

"She's almost ready for Bringer Light?"

"Mhm." Urahara fans himself absently as he reaches out with his reiatsu, the equivalent of poking at the girl. Enju bats his reiatsu away, and he can feel her annoyance through the contact.

"Aren't you going a little too fast?"

"Our little princess is very talented, ahaha~" But he drops the façade to add, "She wants to remove as much of the luck that factored into Ichigo-kun's survival as she can."

"She's gonna join them in Soul Society?"

"That seems to be the case, yes."

"Hmm." Yoruichi observes the meditating girl. "She's got a good head on her shoulders. But I worry about her tendency to try to do everything herself. Just like a certain someone." She doesn't look his way but she may as well have pointed.

"Ahahaha, what I can I say. She's a good student."

"I feel nothing but pity for anyone who's stuck with _you_ as a teacher." His childhood friend smirks, knowing that the same goes for herself.

"Ack, you're a cruel mistress~"

* * *

Life goes on, much as usual. Enju defrosts a bit more around Isshin, to the point that if there is someone else involved, they are able to have casual conversations. Yuzu runs much of the interference. Karin, far more like Enju in personality, understands Enju's feelings much better.

Enju doesn't retreat from the family so much as simply take a step down. She's still there, still joins them for meals and helps them with homework, still does house chores on the weekends and even occasionally mans the front of the clinic for Isshin. But she takes the initiative less. She waits for Ichigo to ask before making him a bento, waits for Karin to ask before helping out with homework. She makes herself available (except for Wednesdays and Saturdays), but no longer leads.

Instead, Ichigo steps up. Perhaps he senses how tired she had been from managing an entire household by herself, despite how well she hides it. Perhaps he feels bad in hindsight for letting her handle everything, despite the fact that it had been what she'd wanted. In any case, though he still loves his older sister as much as he always has, he makes it a point to rely on her less. He can't always be the one being protected, the one being bailed out of trouble. He needs to take responsibility for his own actions, and he's a big sibling too. He's gotta help the younger twins too.

To his relief, Enju encourages this with her own brand of quiet, subtle support. Though naturally a person of few words, she never fails to tell him how proud she is of him when she hears him fighting bullies or helping spirits out. They spend less time together, but Ichigo feels like they're slowly becoming just a bit closer. Enju fusses less, though the worry is still always present in her eyes when he returns scraped up and bruised from a fight.

Things are good now. They're not great - Enju still doesn't seem truly happy, the way he remembers she was before that night, and she still won't really talk to Isshin, and people still whisper and talk and gossip about them. But things are good.

* * *

Four years after Kurosaki Masaki's death, a desperate Inoue Orihime shows up at the Kurosaki clinic in the dead of the night, carrying her severely injured brother. For an eleven year old girl who is on the verge of losing her only family member who loved her, she keeps her composure remarkably well. Enju folds her hands into her sleeves and digs her nails into her arms so hard that they draw blood.

Inoue Sora dies on the way to the general hospital. Orihime cries in Ichigo, Yuzu, and Karin's arms.

* * *

Enju finds herself standing in front of the shoten and blinks away her weariness, a chill running down her spine. Stupid, stupid. If a hollow had attacked, she would have died for nothing. For all that she's gotten better at controlling her reiatsu, she's no master.

The shop door slides open. "Come on in before you catch a cold, kid." Yoruichi bustles her in, ignoring the weak token protests she gives.

The kotatsu warms her up, as does the jasmine tea made by Tessai - her favorite blend. She wants to spend the night here, doesn't want to go back home to the place where she can still see Inoue Sora's dying body on their living room couch. But she can't. Isshin can't find out where she is and what she's been up to - not yet.

Maybe never.

She closes her eyes and rests her head on her arms. Just a few more minutes, and then she'll head out.

* * *

"She's at your place?"

"Yes. I have to admit, you're taking this much better than she thought you would. You knew already?"

"I guessed. My senses are slowly returning. I could tell she was getting stronger."

"It's almost time, then."

"Yeah. … I know I'm not in any position to be saying this, but take good care of her, alright?"

"Of course."

* * *

Kurosaki-kun's older sister is standing in front of her door. Orihime squeaks out a greeting, and can't help but feel a bit intimidated. The other three siblings had cried with Orihime, and gone to the small funeral they'd helped arrange for Sora, but Kurosaki Enju had been absent in all those times.

She wonders if maybe Kurosaki-san is angry at her for having troubled her family with Sora. Kurosaki-kun had promised her that it wasn't the case, looking sad when he'd explained.

"She doesn't like funerals," he'd said. "She once told me she didn't even want to go to Mom's when she died. She doesn't like that they're public and everyone is so busy saying how sad they are that the people that are the family of the dead can't get a break."

"Might I come in?" Kurosaki-san asks softly.

"O-of course!" She leads the girl to the middle of the studio apartment she and Sora-nii had shared, and can't help but feel slightly ashamed of it. It's neat and tidy - she and Sora-nii had shared chores - but run down and old. The pain is peeling in a few places. All their things are second hand, including the worn sweater she's currently wearing. She tugs at it, self-conscious of how it all looks. Next to Kurosaki-san's crisply ironed dress shirt, pleated skirt, and hole-free stockings, she feels like a pauper wearing a paper bag.

They sit down around the cracked coffee table. Orihime then jumps up again. "O-oh, right, um, I have some tea..."

"It's fine," Kurosaki-san says. "Please sit, I won't be here long." Orihime sinks back down and wonders if Kurosaki-san could tell that she didn't have much to offer in the way of snacks or refreshments.

"So, um, how can I help you, Kurosaki-san?"

Kurosaki-san takes a moment to observe her. "First, I wanted to apologize for not being at your brother's funeral. I'm aware that Ichigo told you why, but I still owe you a proper apology for it no matter the reason."

"Oh! Um, it's fine, really!" Orihime pulls up a grin even as she feels a sting in her heart at the mention of Sora-nii. "I mean, you only just met him that day, it's not like you were friends or anything, haha!"

"Even so, it was a disservice. And for that I apologize."

"... It's fine, really." Really, it's fine. It's fine, so she doesn't want to talk about it anymore.

"... Very well. Next, I wanted to offer you a... gift of sorts, I suppose. It's up to you if you want to accept."

"A gift?"

"Yes. When my mother died, my siblings and I helped each other to redecorate each other's rooms. Making our bedrooms feel like a distinctly different place that was still ours helped with... our grief. If you'd like, we'd be happy to help you redecorate as well."

"Oh, um..." It sounds wonderful. Just the prospect of spending time with the Kurosaki family again sparks hope in her weary heart. But she knows she wouldn't be able to afford the cost of redecorating, not with what meager funds she gets from welfare, and she doesn't dare touch the money that Sora-nii left her for her future.

"Yuzu and Karin say they'll buy the paint, and I have more than enough spare allowance saved up for-"

"I-I couldn't!" Orihime interrupts. "You all already helped so much with the funeral, so I can't..."

It's a stupid reason. But, well. Orihime is small and alone and pathetic but she's a survivor. She survived her parents and she survived Sora-nii's death, and Sora-nii raised her to be a strong girl, just in case anything happened to him. She doesn't want to rely on other's charity.

"It wouldn't be any trouble on our end," Kurosaki-san pushes. "Really, it would be just coming out of our spare change."

"I..." Orihime trembles, but gathers herself up. "I don't want your charity." Her courage leaves her right after the words come out, but she's still glad she said it.

Kurosaki-san looks at her, and Orihime thinks she spots a glint of approval. "Think of it as an investment instead, then."

"An investment?"

Kurosaki-san nods. "I think you'd make a good friend. You've got a good head on your shoulders. Ichigo needs some sensible friends."

Orihime frowns. "It wouldn't be friendship if I was friends with him because you guys gave me stuff."

That's definitely a smile on Kurosaki-san's face now.

"Yuzu and Karin like you too. They'd like to visit you again, and I promise it isn't out of pity. Karin does not do pity."

Orihime's lower lip wobbles. "Th-they really want to visit me again?"

"Yes."

"Even though I- even though I caused so much trouble?"

"You carried your brother who is maybe three times your weight up a steep hill to get help for him. They think you're incredibly brave and strong and want to get to know you better."

"... What about Kurosaki-kun?"

"There's four- I mean, five of us Kurosaki. Feel free to call us by our given names. None of us will mind." _That's not true,_ Orihime thinks, remembering the rumors of the ice princess Kurosaki who doesn't let anyone get close at school. Kurosaki- Enju-san continues. "That foolish brother of mine thinks you might be upset because we weren't able to save your brother."

Orihime straightens up. "That's not true!" She cries in dismay. "You did all that you could! I- if anything, I should have just gone to the nearest house and asked for a phone or something!"

"You were not in any state to make calm rational decisions. We on the other hand experience such emergencies very often. Our father is a very good doctor, so Ichigo thinks there must have been something we could have done better," Enju-san's smile is sad but fond. "He has a bad habit of blaming himself for things outside of his control." She glances at Orihime with a cunning grin. "If you spent some time with him and showed him that you don't blame him, I'm sure he'd feel better."

Orihime flushes. Enju-san is _blackmailing_ her.

"Okay," she says with equal parts reluctance and anticipation.

"Excellent. By the way, are you particularly attached to that futon?"

"E-eh? Well, no, it was just a secondhand one we picked up a while ago..."

"And this table?"

"Um..."

* * *

The last-minute house decorating party is kicked off in a literal sense when Ichigo knocks a can of paint over onto Orihime's futon.

"Don't worry about it!" Orihime tries to reassure them. "It'll wash out, and it needed a washing anyways, haha!"

"Nonesense," Enju replies crisply. "Ichigo will replace it with his allowance." Ichigo nods, rubbing the back of his head with a guilty expression.

Next, Karin trips and falls onto the cracked coffee table, breaking it in two.

"Aaah! Karin, look what you did!"

"Ack, I'm so sorry Orihime-san, we'll get you a new one-"

"You mean _you'll_ get her a new one."

"Yeah, that."

"It's fine," Orihime tries again weakly, sensing a pattern.

"It certainly is not," Enju says dryly. "How will you eat or study? We should get you a floor seat too, for your back. Ichigo tells me you're ranked very high in the class, so you must spend a lot of time studying. Good posture is key to avoid back pain."

The thought that Kurosaki-kun - that _Ichigo-kun_ has been noticing her at school has her blushing to the tips of her ears.

"Th-that's really not-"

"Oooh, good idea, nee-chan," Yuzu chirps. "Wasn't the local department store having a sale too? We could go after lunch."

Orihime looks on helplessly as the four Kurosaki siblings completely renovate her apartment.

Isshin arrives a couple hours later with a couple boxes of takeout from various places. "Lunch! For my lovely, lovely, sweet, adorable children helping out their new friend, and also Ichigo."

"Oi!"

There's Karin's rambunctious laughter and Yuzu's tinkling giggles to add to Ichigo's indignant yells as Enju looks on fondly. The place only gets messier before it gets neater. For all their enthusiasm they are fourteen and eleven and none of them have painted walls or put together furniture before.

Orihime looks up at them all in the middle of screwing a table leg together, warmth curling in her chest.

She's not alone.

* * *

Enju returns in the dead of night with Urahara. Inoue Sora's desperate pleas to not be separated from his sister are ignored.

* * *

The years pass in relative peace. Enju trains her fullbring bit by bit. Isshin gives her Masaki's Quincy cross after she comes home from the shoten having finally succeeded in using Bringer Light, and it's a turning point in their relationship. Isshin knew what she'd been up to and had trusted her. It mollifies a part of her that she hadn't known was still seeking his notice.

They still don't talk much, but that's for the par. Isshin rarely talks about anything serious with his children, preferring to protect from the back. Ichigo watches over Yuzu and Karin and Enju watches over Ichigo, like they have always done. But there's less ice now and more laughter. The first time Enju teams up with Isshin to tease Ichigo in a spur of the moment decision, it's like a scab tearing off. It will still hurt, but it's finally healing.

A lot of things have changed. With Enju present, Ichigo doesn't drown in his guilt as much. It's still there, though. Orihime is much closer to Ichigo, and not as infatuated. She's very close friends with Yuzu.

A lot of things don't change. Ichigo saves Yasutora Sado and makes him a promise that neither will ever forget. Orihime meets Arisawa Tatsuki and even more of the loneliness hidden in her heart fades away.

Enju graduates high school. As planned, she moves into her university's dorms, citing shorter commute as the reason. Yuzu cries and Karin hugs her with enough force to bruise when the last box has been loaded up by the moving company.

* * *

Two months after Enju begins university, Kuchiki Rukia arrives in Karakura. 

* * *

_qui omnia videt_

* * *

You will guide Kurosaki Ichigo to his destiny.

"There really isn't another way?"

Kurosaki Ichigo is the singularity. The only possibility of victory is within him. You will be the anchor that ensures the possibility remains.

"… I guess I don't really have much of a choice. I'd much prefer to keep on existing. Will you grant me something, though?"

Speak.

"What I want is-"

* * *

Kurosaki Enju is born with a voice in her head, whispering a promise and a curse alike.

* * *

A world away in Seireitei, a man with white hair and a chronic cough suddenly finds that despite his best attempts, the deity within him no longer accepts his body as an offering.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm really excited for the anime reboot but only for certain scenes. TYBW arc was a mess but there were cool moments.
> 
> There doesn't seem to be many Bleach SI stories at all, especially when compared to other fandoms. Please rec me any!


	2. All Butterflies Lead to Hell

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't remember a lot of the fine details of the plot, so I'm relying on the wiki and episode summaries.

_The Agent of the Shinigami Arc (2/3)_

* * *

Kuchiki Rukia steps into the night sky above Karakura and the clock of destiny starts to move once more. A couple more things happen before that.

* * *

Enju masters her Fullbring abilities, and being able to use Bringer Light is exhilarating. Dashing through the air high above the ground of the basement training room under the shoten, leaping off rocks to fly all the way up until she hits the roof, changing direction and zooming towards the other end of the room only to hit the brakes at the last second. The flashes of translucent red light is the icing on top that completes the cupcake.

It's cool, alright? She's allowed to show off a little bit. She waits with baited breath for the day that she can do this under a clear night sky.

Of course, mastering that just means that her training is kicked up to the next level. Instead of Urahara chasing her around with the threat of a sharp pointy object, now it's Yoruichi - in cat form, to add to the humiliation - and the threat of a very painful bite.

And Yoruichi does not disappoint her famous moniker. The Flash Goddess may be out of practice, but she is still leagues above Enju. She darts in and out, staying just within grabbing range but never allowing Enju to so much as graze the tip of her tail. She leads Enju around the basement, cackling as Enju surely and steadily loses her usual composure and aloof mask in favor of irritation and a special brand of obstinacy unique to a vexed Kurosaki.

Speed training always ends the same way; Enju gasping for dear breath, down on all fours, with Yoruichi standing on her back, tail twitching with satisfaction.

Urahara cracks a joke at Yoruichi's expense, the feline's eyes glint, and Enju collapses from the weight of a full grown and very bare women launching herself off of Enju's back at the shopkeeper. Enju picks herself back up and leans against one of the rocks scattered around the room as she observes two grown adults fooling around, one of them completely naked, because this is her life now.

They give Enju ten minutes to recover and then it's onto dodge training, which is as fun as it sounds. Urahara fires a variety of kido at her, and her job is to deal with them. He'll place various restrictions on her each time, such as not being allowed to use Bringer Light, or not being allowed to touch the ground, or having to stay within a certain distance. This training is meant to acclimatize her to the rush of being in danger and to teach her to work through the adrenaline to remain level-headed, as well as to ensure she doesn't freeze up with things go south.

With two proficient kido users in residence, it means she can take a _lot_ of damage before things actually get life-threatening.

Training is always concluded with a dip in the recovery hot spring combined with some meditation to stay in touch with all the different kinds of reiatsu she has. She sifts through it, the mental equivalent of running hands through sand, familiarizing herself with it as it grows. Ichigo is still the one that has inherited the bulk of the spirit powers in the family, but Enju also has quite the share, and fine control is key to effectively using Fullbring.

Yoruichi paddles over to her side of the hot spring and rests her chin on the heated rocks lined around the baths. "You're sure you're not pushing yourself too hard, kid?"

Enju splashes some water on her face and shakes her head. "I'm fine, Yoruichi-san. I know my limits."

Yoruichi hums. "There's still time, you know. Things are going well. Thanks to you we have more of an edge than we could ever have hoped for."

"Yes," Enju agrees. "That's what scares me." Yoruichi blinks and turns to look at her. "We can't risk becoming complacent because of our advantage. Once things start, I will be one of Ichigo's biggest advantages, but also one of his biggest weak points. I will not allow myself to be used against him."

Yoruichi bites her arm. She stifles a shriek as she shuffles away, dipping her arm into the hot spring to let it heal.

"I didn't take you for an idiot," Yoruichi scolds. "You're not responsible for how things play out. We grown-ups made our choices and you all got dragged in. All you need to focus on is surviving."

"Ichigo doesn't get to," Enju snaps. "Ichigo will be forced to fight Seireitei's battles over and over again, but I won't let him do it all alone."

"He's not going to be alone, Enju." Yoruichi's yellow eyes dare her to look away. "We're all going to be supporting him, even more than how things went in your memories. We play this right, the fight with Juha Bach won't even happen. Let us support you too. Take a break. Spend some time with your family." Enju opens her mouth to protest again. "I know you're keyed up because it's almost the anniversary of Masaki's death. But if you keep on going at this pace, you'll only hurt yourself. Kisuke won't turn you away but he's just as bad about taking care of himself as you are."

Enju scowls sharply and looks away, but gives a reluctant nod. Yoruichi always knows what she's talking about.

* * *

The days continue to pass. Enju continues to train, though they scale the intensity back. But she can tell she's hitting a plateau. The Fullbring ability is versatile, but weak when used on the soul of impersonal objects. Its true strength lies in drawing out the soul of something close to the wielder's heart, something that has been with the wielder through thick and skin.

Except Enju doesn't think she's been through that many hard trials or tribulations, and she doesn't have many material possessions she treasures. There's Masaki's Quincy cross, but the guilt she feels every time she looks at it is enough to disrupt her concentration, making her unable to draw out its soul. She could still do it. Jackie's Dirty Boots had functioned the same way. But Jackie had been reminded of painful memories every time she'd used them. Enju doesn't want her Fullbring focus to be like that.

Urahara brings up the idea of reversing the process. Instead of trying to find an object that she will be able to use as her Fullbring focus, she will create one by keeping a selection of things that she's already attached to close to her with the intention of going through the upcoming trials. Theoretically, that should allow her to eventually bond with it through association and be able to develop a Fullbring unique to her.

She keeps Masaki's Quincy cross locked away in a box in her dresser. Her own feelings aside, this is not a story anymore and they will be risking her lives. Urahara does not know if the orders to kill all Quincy still stand, and even if they did not, the last thing she wants is attracting Kurotsuchi Mayuri's attention. She doubts he will believe her claim that despite her heritage she does not have Quincy powers anymore; not without testing for himself. She doubts such tests would be anything close to pleasant.

Instead, she opens another box in her dresser. It's a beautiful ornamental jewelry box, lacquered deep red wood with cranes and chrysanthemums painted over it.

It was Isshin's mother's. The Shiba clan has always been loyal to their own first and foremost. After hearing of Isshin's defection, his mother had sent someone to the human world to verify what had happened. Isshin had explained as much of what he'd been able to. The next time the messenger had returned, they had brought with them the jewelry box as a gift to whoever Isshin's wife would be.

The Shiba clan had always been good at rolling with the punches.

Isshin had given the box to her on her sixteenth birthday, saying that it was from his mother, unaware that Enju is aware of his shinigami heritage. Curious as to how he had gotten anything from Soul Society, Enju had asked Urahara, who had told her the story.

(They have an odd arrangement, her and Urahara. Neither of them are in the habit of easily divulging information, both knowing too well the cost of information falling into the wrong hands, but Urahara will still often tell her anything she asks about.)

Inside the box lays several elaborate pieces that are clearly meant for big events, like weddings or meetings with high ranking officials. Isshin's mother would have been from a time when the Shiba clan was still one of the great noble families of Seireitei.

She ignores those pieces. Wearing such a thing would only make her stand out, and many of these look to be custom ordered, some of them bearing a symbol that must be that of the Shiba clan's. She doesn't want to bring attention to her shinigami heritage.

Central 46 will be slaughtered down to the last soul, but their replacements will be picked from their peers, and who knows how they will react to finding out about Shiba Isshin's marriage to a human and the children that resulted from it.

She's read enough fanfiction where Central 46 decides Ichigo and his family are too dangerous to be allowed to live. And she doesn't need to rely on her prophetic knowledge to know that it is never wise to put your trust in the hands of elderly people terrified of the prospect of not being in control.

Her and Ichigo aside, Yuzu and Karin are normal human children - even more so than in the original story. It seems that between her and Ichigo, there had been very little power left for the twins to inherit. All the better, for everyone's peace of mind.

She selects a simple pearl hairpin and ties a bit of her hair into a bob on the side of her head, sticking the hairpin in it. She slips a carved jade pendant over her neck, and adds the matching bangle to her wrist.

When she goes down for dinner, Isshin does a double take and goes quiet, eyes misty. It lasts for all of two seconds before he's bawling at ear-shattering decibels about how fast his children are growing up, but don't worry Masaki, he'll protect their virginity until they're at the altar. Yuzu smacks him with a spatula as Karin laughs.

* * *

Enju's first meeting with the Visored goes differently than she and Urahara had planned. They had planned on introducing her to them in order to expose her to more hollow reiatsu in order to raise her level cap, so to speak. She's in her last year of high school at this point, each passing day feeling like a tightening noose.

She's taking a detour home to try out a new café near the outskirts of town close to the bamboo forest garden when a flying hollow nearly flattens her. Cursing, she drops her school bag and runs for a more secluded place, deeper into the forest, past the "Unattended, No Entry" signs.

The hollow follows above, but the bamboo thickets provide cover, even if the rustling gives away her location. She pulls out her phone from her skirt pocket and hits the speed dial for Urahara's cell.

"Moshi moshi, Urahara shoten at you-"

"There's a hollow attacking me. I'm leading it away into the bamboo forest park but it's a flier and I'd rather not have to use Bringer Light in broad daylight."

"… I'll send backup. Hold out for as long as-"

She gets a second of warning from the sudden brightness in the corner of her eye and leaps to one side just before a cero would have vaporized half her body. It manages to hit her arm, scorching it painfully. The phone drops to the ground, circuits fried. She clutches her arm and glares as the hollow lands.

"What a delicious smell," the hollow purrs. It's on the small size, close to a human compared to the usual hulking monstrosities she's used to. It appears to be modelled after a bat. It's also speaking coherently. "To think that I'd come across such a powerful soul in the human world. It must be my lucky day. I've had nothing but scraps since coming here, but you, you'll do quite nicely."

"Oh," Enju sneers. "I see. You were too weak to survive in Hueco Mundo, so you crawled your way to the human world to escape."

The hollow stiffens, then launches at her. "You dare!" it screeches. "You're just prey! Shut up and let me eat you!"

Enju dodges with a flash of Bringer Light, weaving between the bamboo. The hollow cuts through the bamboo easily enough, but the time it takes for it to cut them down gives her precious extra seconds to keep her distance.

She's in pain and tired, but she's had worse from training alone. And this hollow has nothing on Yoruichi.

The hollow screams its fury again, charging at her. She dodges upwards this time and flips over the hollow. As she lands, she sees the hollow charging up a cero and flings herself to one side.

She hits the ground on her burnt arm and _screams_. Stupid, stupid. She pushes through the pain and scrambles to her feet just in time to avoid a swipe that would have taken her head off.

She's well-trained with her Fullbring, but at the end of the day, until she awakens her Fullbring focus, she has very few options for attacking. Her training has focused on avoiding attacks and escaping, which she puts to the test now, earlier fumble aside.

But this is her first time in real combat, the first time she's actually in danger of dying, and she can't stop the trembles and the slowly rising panic that makes it harder and harder to dodge in time. It's only a matter of time before she slips up.

She grabs a piece of bamboo that the hollow had chopped down earlier, drawing on its soul, boosting its durability first, and then finding the sharp edge and shaping it to a vicious point. Like hell she's going to meet her end here. Like hell she's going to up and leave Ichigo and Yuzu and Karin. Like hell she's going to let Masaki's sacrifice be in vain.

She flings the reinforced bamboo tube at the hollow with all the strength she has.

Her vision flashes red and she hears a faint cackle in the back of her head. Her arm heats up as though her blood is boiling. The bamboo pierces the hollow's leg clean through. She watches, baffled, as the hollow screams, falling down on all fours.

"You bitch!" it screams. Before she has the time to wonder where she'd gotten the arm strength to do what she'd just done, its wings unfurl and suddenly it's right in front of her, claws inches from her face-

Someone steps between her and the hollow faster than her eyes can track. One moment the hollow is bearing down on her, foot-long claws closing in on her, and the next it's falling back, cut in two.

"Man," the newcomer says, a grin on his face. "I remember Kisuke sayin' ya were clever, with a good head on yer shoulders. Did I get the wrong girl?"

Hirako Shinji flicks the blood off his zanpakuto and slides it back in its sheath before offering her the schoolbag she'd ditched at the forest edge.

She looks at him, at her bag, at the hollow slowly disintegrating. She wordlessly accepts the bag with her good hand, then winces as she drops the bag, her muscles seizing. Hirako picks up the bag, clicking his tongue with concern.

"That looks nasty. Let's get back to Urahara's, Tessai'll treat it."

"I can't go through town like this," she murmurs, gesturing to her arms.

"True." He's in front of her in an instant, and then the world tilts as she's lifted into his arms.

"Wait, Hirako-san-" Something suddenly seems to react to his reiatsu within her. For a moment, it feels like she's burning up. _Now would be a great time to faint,_ she thinks.

Her body obliges.

* * *

She wakes up on a futon in what she recognizes to be the shoten. She sits up slowly, wincing at the faint headache throbbing behind her eyes.

Her bag lays against the wall and her arm has been healed already, no trace of the vicious burn from earlier. She's grateful. It hadn't been pretty. She tugs on the burnt end of her missing sleeve and sighs. She's going to need to buy a new school uniform. At least she's alive to do so.

Urahara's reiatsu in the next room over stirs, along with an unfamiliar reiatsu. By the way it's faintly streaked with hollow reiatsu, she can guess who it is. They shuffle over to her room. Urahara knocks out of courtesy, to which she signals with her reiatsu.

"Our sleeping beauty has awoken!" He grins at her scowl. "You really do reassemble Ichigo-kun when you frown like that~"

Hirako steps in behind him, whistling. "Ya weren't kiddin, she really is packing hollow reiatsu. Nice ta meet ya, I'm Hirako Shinji. But ya already know who I am, don't ya?"

" _Wait, Hirako-san-"_

She wants to bang her head on the wall until she faints again.

"Urahara-san told me about you," she replies, eyeing him. His tone had implied something else, though.

He raises an eyebrow. "He told ya what I look like, too?"

"Yes," she replies calmly as her heart skips a beat.

"Funny," he says, sitting down with a casualness that contrasted with his interrogation. "'Cause I just asked Kisuke and he says he didn't. Yet ya knew my name before I gave it to ya." Kisuke's unchanging expression has her heartbeat skyrocketing.

"I made an assumption," she says with false confidence.

"Huh." Hirako stares at her for a moment longer before grinning. "Yer a good liar, aren't ya?"

Something in her stings at the assessment.

"I'm not sure what you mean, Hirako-san."

His smile turns a touch more sinister. "Ya remind me of Aizen."

She isn't able to control the uptick of anger that flashes through her, her reiatsu rushing outwards like a localized storm. She reins it back in a moment later, but the damage is done.

Hirako turns to Urahara, false cheer gone. "Just a Fullbringer my ass, Kisuke. Why does she know about Aizen? I said I wouldn't mind helping, but I need to know what I'm getting into."

Urahara sits down beside her. "For what it's worth, Enju-san, I do believe that Hirako-san would be a very powerful ally if he knew. But the choice is yours."

Enju _glares_. Simply by saying that, he has removed several in-between choices. They either work with Shinji while he knows that they are actively hiding something from him, or they fill him in on everything. And he could have covered for her when Hirako had asked if he'd ever told her what he looked like. There is no way he would have missed the implication of that question. Her choice her _ass_. He's set this whole thing up. Probably not the hollow attack, but Urahara has not gotten as far as he has by not being opportunistic.

Shinji watches their interaction with eyes that would put a hawk to shame. Enju looks down, first clenched in the blankets. She's not even being given the time to think it over. Her right arm, the one that had not been burned, stings.

"Fine," she grits out.

* * *

Hirako's reaction is very similar to Urahara's; the two are fairly similar people, if you take away the century of guilt Urahara is shouldering. Initial wary disbelief, followed by reluctant acceptance, then moving immediately onto what the new information actually means for them.

"A story, huh." He's sitting cross-legged now, elbow on one knee, head resting on a raised hand. He gives a bitter laugh. "That certainly explains a lotta things." The sheer absurdity and unfairness of everything, he probably means.

Enju looks away. There is no comfort she can provide.

A hand lands on her head and she has a moment to be surprised before it ruffles her hair so hard that the strands tangle. "Don't worry about it, kid. It ain't yer fault. If anything, ya gave us a real winning chance."

Enju scowls and bats away the hand, smoothing out her hair in a manner similar to a disgruntled Yoruichi grooming herself, though Urahara will never admit that out loud. Both the princesses under his roof are finicky beings prone to violence, no matter how good of a calm and composed act Enju puts on.

"You know I'm not actually a child," she grumbles.

"Yer a baby next to me," Hirako laughs.

"You're just an old man," she snaps back. Hirako just laughs again.

* * *

Hirako is at the shoten the next time she arrives for her biweekly training. He sits and lets her leech off of his hollow-soaked reiatsu for about three minutes before he stands up.

"This is boring," he announces. "Let's actually do somethin' instead. This'll work as long as yer nearby, right?"

"Yes." Enju follows him to Urahara's underground training area, grabbing a spare walking stick on the way, and inordinately grateful for the change of pace. This might be harder than she expected.

Hirako's reiatsu, tinged with hollow reiatsu, is _delicious_. The closest comparison is perhaps a deep, rich wine, but without the usual dry texture that she dislikes in actual wine. Bless her self control that had stopped her from throwing herself onto his lap to get more of it. If Hirako is anything like Urahara, training will distract her enough.

He's not, and it doesn't.

Training with Hirako, by itself, is… Nice. She can see how the man was a captain before. He's good at guiding people, and he's far better equipped for a friendly spar than Urahara or Yoruichi, who specialize in lethal kill moves.

But the thick taste of his reiatsu as it flows into her, greedily devoured by the hollow reiatsu that seems to be growing stronger, has her stumbling about like a newborn deer.

"Yer alright?" Hirako asks, clearly holding back a laugh when she stumbles straight into a rock. "Ya weren't this clumsy when ya were up against that hollow earlier."

She doesn't bother to reply, rubbing her forehead, her face burning.

He gives an amused huff and then he's beside her, taking hold of an arm when she staggers to one side, tilting dangerously. "Yer drunk on reiatsu," he realizes, giving an incredulous laugh. "Right, no trainin' then." He drags the two of them to the ground and against the rock she'd hit so that they're sitting side by side.

Giving up, she closes her eyes, relaxing against the rock, and allows herself to enjoy Hirako's reiatsu.

* * *

She wakes up an hour later, not having even been aware that she'd fallen asleep, and immediately wishes she was still asleep.

There's a pair of legs under her head.

Specifically, her head is laying on someone's thighs.

Oh, who is she kidding. She knows exactly who she's laying on.

She scrambles to sit up, only to be hit with vertigo as the blood rushes from her head. She tilts backwards dangerously, only to have Hirako grab her arm before she can hit her head.

"Slow down," he laughs. "I don't mind." He then leers. "I doubt anyone would mind a pretty girl on their lap."

The blood comes rushing back as she blushes to the tip of her ears. She scowls despite knowing she isn't fooling anyone.

So it wasn't just his reiatsu that she was attracted to. So she thinks Hirako is hot. So what? She's still allowed to pretend to have some semblance of dignity. She gets up and heads for the exit, ignoring his laugh.

Apparently she's not done embarrassing herself.

She makes it up a third of the way with Bringer Light before she's hit with a dizzy spell, not used to the increased amount of reiatsu she's packing. Her concentration lost, she starts to fall. Coupled with her overall fatigue, her panic is severe enough that she can't focus enough to grab the air with her fullbring.

Hirako catches her before she can plummet to her death, amused. "Are ya sure yer an adult that reincarnated? Yer more like a fresh new recruit learnin' how ta walk." He has the gall to laugh at her glare. He carries her up out of the underground training room and sets her down, and she tries to tell herself her racing heart is entirely from the scare of her fall and nothing else.

* * *

As if the day isn't already long enough, he insists on walking her home.

"Ya've got the coordination of a coked up ferret right now," he laughs. "Ya'd be nothin' but easy pickings."

She turns her face and sticks her nose in the air away from him and begins walking. Frustrating as it is, he's right. The additional reiatsu is disorienting and she's tired- physically, mentally, emotionally.

"Want me ta carry ya back?"

She walks faster. She thinks she'd prefer being attacked by a hollow to this.

* * *

He doesn't stop there, of course. At her doorstep, she turns to tell him to go away politely, only to freeze up when she finds his face inches away from hers.

"I'll see ya next week," he murmurs, then straightens up, grinning. He waves and turns on his heel, fading into the shadows of the street. She takes a deep breath to get her heartbeat under control and turns around.

Yuzu and Karin are watching from the window beside the door. They raise their eyebrows at her.

She's going to kill him.

* * *

"Was that your _boyfriend_?" Yuzu chirps with falsely innocent wide eyes. Anyone who thinks that Yuzu is a perfect angel that can do no wrong has never been on the receiving end of her pranking.

Like a bloodhound on a trail, Isshin rounds the corner. "BOYFRIEND?!?!" he yells. "WHO?!?!"

"He's most certainly not my boyfriend," Enju hisses.

"But he kissed you," Karin says smugly, and sits back with a bowl on ice cream to watch the trainwreck unfold.

"HE WHAT?!?!" Isshin shrieks.

" _He did not_ ," Enju snarls. "He was just joking around."

"He's a player, then?" Yuzu fake-frowns with fake concern.

"I WON'T ACCEPT IT!!!" Isshin sobs. "I HAVEN'T EVEN SEEN HIM YET, HAVE I?!?! I WON'T ACCEPT ANYONE WHO'S NOT AS PRETTY AS MASAKI, OR WHO'S NOT AS SWEET AND GENTLE-"

"He was pretty hot," Karin comments, grinning unrepentantly when Enju makes an attempt to commit fratricide with her eyes alone.

"WHO IS HE?!?!"

Enju stifles a scream of frustration.

"You got a boyfriend?" Ichigo asks, passing by with a cup of yogurt.

"I DON’T HAVE A BOYFRIEND!!" She shrieks.

"He's just fooling around with her," Yuzu says with fake, fake sadness. Ichigo frowns, concern clear on his face. He puts down his yogurt.

"Nee-san-"

Enju screams and stomps her way up to her bedroom, slamming the door behind her as Karin cackles.

* * *

"Think we maybe overdid it, Karin?"

"Nah. It's what she gets for thinking she can fool us with her "part-time job.""

"True. Well, I guess we won't have to track that guy down and question him for now." Yuzu tucks the metal bat back behind the sink pipes.

* * *

It's only when she's in the shower that she notices the angry dark lines streaking down her arm. They don't hurt, but she remembers muscles burning and seizing up.

When they don't disappear after a day, she goes to visit the only person she can.

* * *

Urahara sticks yet another wire to her arm and hums contemplatively. "It looks very similar to Blut Arterie," he remarks.

Enju frowns. "I thought I lost my Quincy powers."

"You did. I'm not sensing any Quincy-patterned reishi. But the Blut line of techniques is simply running reishi through your blood vessels. Your Quincy powers were taken away, but your body remains biologically part-Quincy, along with the structures to match."

"And the streaks?"

Urahara hums again. "Quincy and Hollow reiatsu naturally oppose each other, but your body has managed to coexist with both. You mentioned a blue vein-like light when Quincies used Blut; perhaps this is the result of the hollow portion of your reiatsu being pushed through a channel meant to conduct the opposite kind of reishi. Instead of being rejected by your body and tearing your arteries apart, it caused these marks instead. That's very fortunate."

Enju suppresses a shiver. Very fortunate indeed.

* * *

Despite Hirako having fun doing his level best to push her off balance both emotionally and physically (she supposes he needs to get his entertainment _somehow_ ), life goes on. She doesn't meet the rest of the Visored and that's fine. Handling Hirako is hard enough.

Her power grows as she spends time with Hirako. After the initial explosive increase, which Urahara theorizes as her hybrid soul having been starved for hollow reiatsu and going berserk, the growth is much smaller, but it's still a steady increase. It means she doesn't get drunk on reiatsu again, much to her relief.

With Hirako joining in on her training, she's reaching new levels of reflexes and dodging speed, even if she still has very little viable options for offence. They also test out her newfound ability.

After very careful and heavily monitored testing, Urahara had determined that due to her body's unique composition, she is indeed still able to use the Blut techniques without causing harm. The streaks on her arm fade over time as the traces of hollow reishi eventually naturally leave her blood vessels, but come back once she begins to train her Blut. She learns to deal with the heat of wearing long sleeves, stockings, and gloves during the summer.

The months pass, she continues to train, and then graduation is the day after and she's left looking at her calendar wondering where all the time went.

* * *

She's sitting on her roof with a bowl of ice cream when Hirako shows up. He settles down next to her and lies down to look up at the stars.

"Nervous?"

"Not at all."

He raises an eyebrow but doesn't call her bluff.

She doesn't like being noticed, and she doesn't like big crowds. Suffice to say, she's not looking forward to the graduation ceremony.

It's silly. She's trained so much she could put down a grown (normal) man three times her weight, but the prospect of walking across a stage and smiling for an audience for three minutes has her so anxious that she can't sleep.

"Do ya want me ta be there?"

She can't quite hold back a wide eyed stare. Then she laughs.

"I think if you showed up, Ichigo would probably try to fight you."

He arches an eyebrow. "Why?"

"No reason at all." She gives a closed eyed smile that doesn't fool him one bit, she's sure. She turns back around and wraps her arms around her legs. They stargaze in silence for a little bit longer before she speaks again. "Why do you put so much effort into training me?"

It's not that she doesn’t appreciate it - quite the opposite. But he'd jumped right in when they'd been no more than strangers, and kept at it even after she was sure that he'd had her figured out. Surely she can't be that entertaining to be around?

Hirako huffs. "I can't do anything nice without all of ya thinkin' I'm up ta something, can I?" But his grin tells her he's not actually upset. He props himself up on his elbows and sits back up to face her. "Ya may not be a kid, but yer not a soldier. Ya got dragged into this like the rest o' us. Figured it was only fair ya got as good of a fighting chance as ya could get."

He stands up and taps her shoulder in a familiar gesture. "We're almost to the start line. Hang in there."

Then he's gone.

She lets her reiatsu unfurl, and it seems to almost sulk in his absence, moving a touch sluggishly.

Or it could be the lack of sleep. She sighs and heads back inside.

* * *

Back safely behind Hachi's wards, Shinji finally loosens up on his reiatsu. It flickers and snaps, like it's searching for something. Or someone. He sighs and hangs his hat up, ignoring the piercing look Lisa gives him.

He hadn't been lying when he'd told Enju why he'd helped her out. Call it pity, call it sympathy, whatever. And Urahara and Yoruichi do a good job, but they can't understand what it's like to have hollow reiatsu that _hungers_ in a way that no amount of eating will satisfy, or the aggression that comes with it.

But there had also been another reason. His hollow side _adores_ her reiatsu. The constant faint cacophony always present in the back of his head grows faint when he's around her, and gets a little bit louder right after he leaves, but quiets down again soon after.

Not completely, no; never completely. They're stuck with the screaming until the day they die. But- enough. Enough that he can rest just a little bit more easily, can sleep a little bit better, dreams a little bit less about his hollow taking over and his friends being forced to kill him.

He should convince one of the other visored to give it a try, see if it's just him or if visored in general can benefit from her reiatsu. She'd get to be exposed to more hollow reiatsu, too. A win for all.

He doesn't bring it up.

* * *

Graduation comes and goes. Enju breathes easier once it's all done and over with and it's just her and her family and Orihime and Chad and Tatsuki and her family, crowding a corner of a yakiniku shop.

Urahara stops by late at night outside her window to congratulate her with Yoruichi perched on his shoulders. Their gift to her is a giant gift bag of sweets from the store, all her favorites, big enough to throw a party with.

The day after, she starts packing.

* * *

"Here." Ichigo hands her a large, flat wrapped box. "A graduation gift. It's from all of us." Enju smiles and gently pops the tape off the corner, recognizing Karin's neat handiwork. She recognizes the logo stamped on the box as that of a brand-name traditional accessory store and raises an eyebrow.

"Go on, open it," Yuzu urges, jumping from foot to foot. Enju obeys, and exhales softly at what she finds.

It's a beautiful kanzashi. Made of delicately sculpted gold in the shape of birds on flowering branches, with red and silver tassels. "It's gorgeous," she murmurs, her voice thick with emotion. "Thank you."

It's the kanzashi she'd been looking at the other month, entranced by the exquisite artwork, but had talked herself out of getting it given the price tag and the fact that it was largely impractical. She'd though Ichigo hadn't noticed.

(She wonders if this might work as her Fullbring focus. Her ongoing attempts to bond with the hairpin, pendant, and bracelet are ongoing failures still.)

Yuzu dashes forward and hugs her again. "Don't you dare forget to visit, and to eat breakfast, and, and-"

Karin laughs behind her, but it's a touch forced. "Who do you think made breakfast before you and made us eat every last grain of rice, Yuz? She'll be fine."

"I know," Yuzu mumbles, wiping her eyes as she backs up.

Ichigo steps up again, now hugging her with all of his might, which is quite a lot. Just like she remembers, he's grown up to be a handsome, strong boy. She thinks Masaki would be proud. She wraps her arms around his neck and squeezes back.

"I'll be back before you know it." She turns to Isshin, who's standing off to one side hesitantly, and opens her arms. The hug is quick, but no less strong than Ichigo's.

* * *

Right before Enju leaves, she gives Ichigo Urahara's contact information.

"Mom brought me to him when I was a toddler and she'd found out that I could see ghosts," she explains. "If something happens with ghosts that you need help with, or if you're just not sure about something, go to him. He's kind of a jerk sometimes, but he means well. Probably."

The dry look he gives her tells her what he feels about her assessment of the guy, but he nods. "This is what you've been up to with your part time job, then?"

"Something like that." She smiles at Ichigo's grimace at her evasion and pats him on the head - having to stand on tip toes to do so, damn him for getting all the height and leaving none for her. "And remember to trust your instincts."

* * *

University is… different. In both good and bad ways. The freedom is wonderful, but after eighteen years of living in a rambunctious household, the solitude of not having any of her family nearby hits her harder than she expects.

She's secured a single dorm for herself, having gotten a scholarship. It's a bit of a waste on her, as she expects she'll be dropping out before the first term is done, but she's glad for the privacy. It also means that when Hirako shows up outside her window, she doesn't have to explain him to a roommate.

"Got ya a graduation gift," he says, tossing a box at her. She raises an eyebrow and unties the ribbon. Popping the top of the box open, she peers in, then blinks upon seeing the fingerless gloves within. They're delicately embroidered at the ends, made of lace and satin, going up to her elbows - more than good enough to cover the streaks on her arms with a shirt with any sort of sleeve. "Figured it would be less hot than long sleeves in the summer," he offers, scratching at a cheek with a finger.

She tries them on. They're impossibly soft and just the right size. She loves them, and the smile she gives him lets him know that. He grins in return. "See ya around."

* * *

She looks at the ribbon that was used to tie the box contemplatively. The next morning, when she gathers some of her hair up in its usual bun, she secures it with the ribbon, before sliding in the kanzashi that her family got her.

Wearing the gifts given to her by her friends and family, she feels a little less lonely.

* * *

Two months pass faster than she expects. She initially goes home very weekend, but as exams and final projects approach she visits less and less. Yuzu and Karin aren't pleased, but they understand.

Hirako visits frequently, sometimes popping up outside her window for a chat, but more often catching her on her way back from class. She appreciates the gesture. He knows that she can't help but feel a spark of resentment for the Visored as well, since even their hypothetical versions had up and left Ichigo the moment he'd lost his powers. This seems to be his way of assuring her that he won't do what the hypothetical him did.

It could also be that he's just bored and finds amusement in her suffering.

That's probably it.

* * *

Kuchiki Rukia steps into the town of Karakura. Enju, who is buried deep in assignments and projects and studying, is not made aware. Nevertheless, when Hirako's visits grind to a halt, she's not fooled.

On one hand, she's touched that they're still looking out for her.

On the other hand, she'd assumed she was their equal going forward, and not something to be protected. She supposes she was being naïve; any one of Yoruichi, Urahara, or Hirako could run circles around her, psychologically and physically, even blinded and with both arms and feet bound. They could have just bundled her off to one side instead of actively helping her to take the situation in her own hands. They don't mean to hurt her by keeping her in the dark. They very likely know that she's going through a stressful time at school and don't want to increase her burdens.

It doesn't stop the faint curl of bitterness. The soft cackles and snickers that haunt her dreams get a little louder.

* * *

Ichigo goes through things much as expected. He meets Kuchiki Rukia and takes a desperate gamble to protect his family. He takes over her duties and meets Urahara Kisuke in person, who seems to be the very dictionary definition of the kind of people that Enju told him to stay away from as a toddler. Even so, his instincts tell him that Urahara can be relied on, even if not trusted to be honest, and Enju has always told him to trust in his instincts.

Having been raised alongside Enju's harshly practical viewpoints, he doesn't hesitate as much to cut down hollows. He understands that they're the ghosts of what used to be ordinary people, but killing them to allow them to be sent on is the best that he can do for them, and he won't risk the living for the dead.

One significant change is Inoue Orihime and her relation with the Kurosaki family. Yuzu and Karin had latched on and refused to let go, and Orihime had hardly resisted. She joins them for dinner more often than not, though she'll insist on buying ingredients if so, does homework with Ichigo together, helps tutor the twins, sews with Yuzu, is banned from the kitchen with Karin.

In this verse, she's made honestly aware of how bad her cooking is, due to a history of eating whatever was cheapest and available together. She shrugs and enjoys the meals Yuzu makes for them all. Ichigo becomes Yuzu's assistant in the kitchen, and while he's not nearly as dedicated or skilled, he can more than easily whip something delicious together.

"You'd make a great wife one day, Ichigo-kun," Orihime laughs one night, settled at the Kurosaki dinner table.

Here, she remains steadfast friends with Ichigo, but she sees more of him, sees him for who is beyond just the boy that will always lend a helping hand out to anyone no matter what, and decides she loves him, but as a good friend that she will always stand beside. She thinks she might always have a little bit of a crush on him, but that's okay.

Here, she becomes able to see ghosts much sooner, the result of spending time around Enju, though she does not yet obtain her Shun Shun Rikka. She takes it in stride like she's always done whenever life throws a wrench her way, and is quietly grateful that she never sees the ghost of her brother.

Here, she is present the night that he becomes a shinigami, risking life and limb to help, so of course he doesn't hide what's happening from her. And if he's going to tell Orihime, then of course he's going to tell Chad. He leaves the choice of whether to involve Arisawa Tatsuki or not to Orihime.

Orihime, of course, insists they tell her. Tatsuki has a solid head on her shoulders and precisely because she's not as close to Ichigo as the rest of them, though still a longtime friend, she can offer a more unbiased view of the whole situation. And if even Tatsuki's gonna get involved, it's only fair for Keigo and Mizuirio to know too.

Rukia is initially vehemently against telling so many humans, most of whom can't even see ghosts - souls, whatever - but Ichigo has stubbornness in spades to spare. In the end, short of attempting to physically stop him, there's nothing she can do. She fumes in silent indignation as her advice is acknowledged and ignored, but there's a glint of longing in her eyes as she watches Ichigo and his friends sitting together in Orihime's apartment, snacks and drinks spread out among them.

"I'm trying _really hard_ not to shit bricks at the thought that there's invisible monsters that could fuck us up at any time and only Ichigo and Kuchiki can see them," Tatsuki says dryly. Rukia looks faintly aghast at Tatsuki's language. "I mean, I knew about the ghost thing," she gestures to Orihime, "but ghost monsters is new."

"So Chad and Mizuiro and me are the ones that didn't know?" Keigo whines.

"It's something I try not to think too hard about," Ichigo scowls even as Orihime gives him a fond look.

"You're always getting into fights with bullies because they knock over flowers meant for children that passed away, though," she teases, the snitch. Ichigo scowls again and looks away.

"Whatever. Sorry, I didn't mean to keep it from you guys. It just never came up cause I make it a point to ignore them if I can."

Chad nods, accepting the apology easily, though Ichigo suspects he already knew. It's hard to hide things from Chad, whose poker face would make a professional player weep in shame.

Keigo sighs and shrugs, accepting it as just another whacky Ichigo thing. It should probably offend Ichigo more than it does.

"Should we call Enju-nee for this?" Mizuiro asks. "You said she's been training to handle stuff like this, right?"

"She never talked about hollows, but she knew Urahara, so I'm pretty sure she knew about all this." Ichigo bites down on a cookie, sighing. He loves his older sister with all of his heart, but he hates all the secrets she keeps from everyone, especially when she does it to protect him and the twins. "It should be fine, yeah? These things were there since way before we knew about them. It isn't that things are more dangerous, just that we know they're there now."

"That's not entirely correct," Rukia sighs. "Unfortunately, since you've become a shinigami now, your reiatsu has increased even further. You were originally very strong for a human and a likely target for stray hollows; you're very likely to attract any nearby hollows now."

Ichigo's stomach drops at the thought. It's one thing for him to become a target; he can fight back easily. And he's pretty sure Isshin's in on everything he and Enju are doing. But if Yuzu and Karin become targets-

"Breath, Ichigo." Mizuiro thumps him on his back. "We'll figure something out. Even if we can't see these hollow things, there's gotta be a way to detect them, right?" He directs the question at Rukia.

She nods. "There are sensors and barriers that can be installed. Urahara would know how to do that, probably."

"So we go to the shady guy," Mizuiro concludes. "What forms of payment does he take?"

"Why, for the safety of my protégé's beloved brother and his family? Nothing at all~"

Keigo shrieks while Mizuiro flings himself away from the unexpected voice and the rest of the group take up various combat positions. Urahara gives them a peace sign and an amused grin as he hovers outside Orihime's balcony.

Once Urahara is settled inside and their hearts are no longer threatening to burst out of their chests, the conversation continues.

"I can, and will, install a ward around the Kurosaki residence," Urahara confirms. "Don't worry about payment or anything, it's already been arranged~"

"Did Enju-nee already ask you to do it?" Keigo asks with a frown.

"Something like that." Urahara laughs as he hides his face behind his fan and the kids glare at him. Ah, so cute. They're just like mini versions of Enju, though much less controlled.

"She guessed that this would happen?" Mizuiro asks. Urahara grins. That boy is a clever one. It won't do to underestimate him just because he's fifteen and human.

"That Kurosaki-kun would become a shinigami? Certainly not." That's a blatant lie, of course. "But she's had tremendous spiritual powers at a young age, and she noticed Kurosaki-kun's powers getting stronger. She spoke to me about it and we discussed the possibility of it eventually becoming strong enough to attract hollows and affect others the way her powers do."

Ichigo swallows. "Is that why she moved out?" And why she spent so much time away from the house, especially on weekends.

"In part, yes. Before you became a shinigami, your power was remarkable, but not dangerously so. However, with both you and her in the household, it greatly increased the risk of hollows being attracted to your location."

Ichigo's nails bite into his palms. "Why didn't she just tell me?"

"I think you already know the answer to that." Urahara puts down his fan as he lets his expression become serious. Ichigo and Orihime understand, but for everyone else's sake, Urahara paints the picture for them.

"Having strong spiritual powers means you can protect yourself better from hollows and supernatural threats, but it also attracts the trouble right to your doorstep. Could you imagine constantly having to check over your shoulder even when in the safety of your own home? Wondering if every little unfortunate accident is because something noticed your powers and followed you home?" He lets the picture sink in.

"Miss Enju wanted to protect Ichigo from a childhood of that. No matter what she did, nothing would change for her, and even if Ichigo was aware about what his powers meant, he wouldn't have been able to do anything about them anyways. So she decided that it would be better if he was simply never aware until he absolutely had to be."

Ichigo punches the wall behind him. "That doesn't mean she had to carry the burden all by herself!" he yells, then immediately winces. "Sorry, Hime."

"It's fine." Orihime shifts closer to him, nudging his shoulder with her own in solidarity. "I get it. Sora-nii was always doing dangerous jobs cause they paid more, after he ran away with me. He lied and told me it wasn't dangerous, but I knew." She understands exactly how he feels. The frustration, the resentment at both themselves and their loves ones despite the love, the hopeless feeling of not being able to change the past now that he knows.

"I thought she was just learning how to get rid of ghosts," he says quietly. "And that she was just trying to avoid the old man."

Tatsuki sighs. "That's sweet and all, but what are we actually gonna _do_ now?"

Urahara lifts his fan up again. Enju had made it clear what he was to tell them, on threat of attempted castration should he not say everything. "I'll be honest with you all. Ichigo attracting hollows is the least of your worries. If you stay around him, just like Miss Inoue, you'll be affected, just as Miss Inoue was. A soul awakening as strongly as Ichigo has can easily affect other living souls around them."

Ichigo's expression crumples a bit, having already made the connection when Enju's absence had been explained, but it's now confirmed. It's his fault that Orihime can't be an ordinary girl anymore-

Orihime karate chops him over the head. "No moping!" she says firmly. "We figure out what to do first, then we mope."

"We?" Tatsuki says wryly.

"We." Orihime glares at Ichigo - well, she pouts, which is really the same thing for her. "I don't blame you, Ichigo-kun. You didn't know, and now I know that Enju-san did her best to try to stay away for our sakes. But even if I could go back, I wouldn't change a thing. I'd like to think my friendship with everyone is more than worth it." Her expression softens. "And even if you knew and didn't say anything, I wouldn't blame you. You're allowed to want to have friends." Across from Ichigo, Chad nods in silent agreement.

"Yeah," Keigo shouts. "No way we're just gonna leave you! Give us more credit than that."

"You're shaking, Keigo," Mizuiro laughs. "But Keigo's right. Something like this isn't enough to just make us up and ditch you, you know. If anything, we're insulted that you think we might."

"I mean, honestly I don't really care about the rest of you, but someone's gotta keep an extra eye on Orihime. You get into the craziest stuff." Tatsuki smirks at Ichigo. "Also, you haven't beat me in karate yet, so don't get all up on your high horse."

Ichigo laughs hoarsely, reaching up to rub at the side of his eyes. "Thanks, guys."

Rukia watches from her corner of the circle, the creeping guilt threatening to drown her.

* * *

In the end, not much changes. Urahara arranges for a ward to be set up around the Kurosaki clinic late at night when everyone is at home and asleep. He also passes out matching bracelets with little skulls on them. "They'll light up if a hollow is nearby," he explains. "The flashing will become more frequent the closer you are. At the moment, your best bet is to run away. It's almost certain that you will all be able to see ghosts, but it remains to be determined if any of you will awaken additional powers."

"Will Yuzu and Karin be affected?" Ichigo asks, clutching his bracelet along with the two spares for his sisters.

"Most likely. That being said, weak as it is, they appear to already have spiritual powers, so it would only accelerate and enhance what would already have happened to them."

"Meaning, it's not your fault, so stop trying to make it out to be," Tatsuki sighs, kicking him gently in the leg. Ichigo grimaces but nods.

Orihime follows him home, and the two of them sit Yuzu and Karin down in Ichigo's bedroom and explain everything, because it would just be stupid to assume that the two of them will be left alone no matter what happens to Ichigo, and also because after dealing with all of Enju's secrets, they would never forgive him if they ever found out he was hiding something so big from them.

Their reaction is pretty much what Orihime expects it to be.

"Oh, just that?" Yuzu shrugs. "I mean, Ichi-nii getting super saiyan'd is news, but we kinda already figured everything else out."

"We've been able to see ghosts for a while now," Karin says wryly, "and the internet is a thing. If it exists, someone's talking about it. It's not like we're the only family in the world that can see ghosts. Wasn't too hard to find people talking about it."

Orihime grins at Ichigo, who rubs the back of his head. "Yeah, I guess. Sorry-" Karin kicks him in the shins as Orihime elbows him. "… Thanks." The three girls beam, and Ichigo feels like he's been ganged up on.

* * *

So, things change. Ichigo's friends are all aware of what is going on, and it makes covering his sudden exits much easier. They rapidly gain the ability to see ghosts, doing their best to take it all in stride. It helps that they have each other to talk to, or to call late at night when they can't sleep.

The night after Ichigo reveals everything to his friends, Rukia approaches him and his sisters and apologizes.

"This all happened due to my inability to successfully complete my mission," she says, bowing at the waist. "If I had been strong enough to defeat the hollow, none of this would have occurred-"

Ichigo bops her on the head. "That's stupid. You heard Urahara, no matter what I was gonna get stronger and that was gonna cause problems. Maybe the problems are bigger now, and maybe they're happening sooner, but _I'm_ stronger too. And besides, if you hadn't been there, we all would have died. The hollow came for _me_ , not you. If anything, I should be thanking _you_."

Rukia clutches her head and looks in awe, as though really seeing Ichigo for the first time. Again, things change from there. She's drawn into Ichigo's circle of friends, who welcome her with open arms, having heard of how she gave up her powers to give Ichigo the chance to protect his family. They click their tongues in concern when she mentions how her powers are being unusually slow to recover. They joke with her and do homework with her.

Not having to pretend that she's an ordinary human is fantastic. She's free to ask all the questions she wants - how juice boxes work, how vending machines work, what that strange looking creature is. They never make fun of her (Tatsuki teases a little bit) and someone is always up for showing her around. She visits the malls, the arcades, the forests, the hill that gives a splendid view of the town.

A part of her is happy that her powers are being slow to recover. She wishes these idyllic, peaceful days would last forever.

* * *

Chad comes into possession of an allegedly cursed cockatiel. The moment his bracelet starts flashing, seconds after he's given the bird, he immediately calls Ichigo while running for the shoten. He's intercepted by a flying hollow that nearly knocks him into a concrete wall.

He reacts on instinct, and it feels like his blood is boiling, like his skin is on fire, but it doesn’t hurt. He awakens his fullbring one fight early and punches the hollow so high that it takes a good minute for Ichigo, having finally arrived in shinigami form, to wait for it to come back down so that he can deal the killing blow and send it off.

They witness a soul getting sucked away by the gates of hell, which is a whole other matter that they really don't feel like tackling, and the cockatiels' story of the hollow's sadistic, messed up games disturbs them something fierce, so Ichigo calls everyone and they have a sleepover at his place, since it's his house that has the wards. Ichigo makes a note to ask Urahara to set up wards around everyone's houses, just to be safe.

* * *

"Training," Tatsuki announces firmly the next morning, handing out ankle weights. "If nothing else, being able to run long and fast should drastically increase our chances of survival. And between stamina and speed, stamina is much more important and easier to work on. Which means-"

"Laps," Keigo groans.

They run laps together until they're ready to drop, wheezing and laughing as they go.

* * *

Beyond all odds, Kon still manages to end up in the Kurosaki family's care. This time, Ichigo's friends immediately notice that something is wrong, and they wrestle the imposter and tie him down until the real Ichigo returns to discover that the soul candy he used is apparently not what the label advertised.

Even so, just like Enju had forseen, Ichigo can hardly hand Kon over knowing that a conscious, sentient soul would be destroyed.

As Kon did not have the chance to destroy Ichigo's social reputation, and is deeply touched by the consideration that Ichigo and his friends are showing him, there is much less conflict and animosity.

Yuzu and Karin are filled in on Kon's situation. Instead of using Kon as a soul candy to cover for Ichigo, who has friends to cover for him, Urahara lends Kon a gigai (which he'd already prepared just for Kon, knowing what might come to pass), and sets him up with a new identity as Inoue Kon, Orihime's distant cousin that had come to look for her.

Of course, he can't stay with Orihime. He stays at the shoten instead. After Ichigo's friends disperse, Mizuiro casually comments that isn't it great now, there's paper records of Kon's existence so he can't just conveniently vanish anymore. It's a clear warning to Urahara to not try anything fishy. Urahara approves.

* * *

He's on his way back from the shoten after getting Kon settled in, a roll of proper soul candy in hand, when he notices the extra reiatsu at his house. It's his first time sensing it since becoming a shinigami, but he knows immediately who it is. He runs the rest of the way home, flinging open the front door, stopping only to kick his shoes off, dashing up the stairs to his bedroom.

"Nee-san!" he calls, flinging open his bedroom door, then freezes.

Enju sits in his chair by his desk while Rukia sits in seiza on his bed, stiff as a board, sweating mildly.

His older sister gives him a beatific smile that sends chills down his spine.

"Good evening, Ichigo. Would you like to explain to me why there is a female shinigami sleeping in your closet?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> After dealing with Shinji's teasing at her university, Enju decides she's allowed to have a bit of fun at someone else's expense.
> 
> The irony is not lost on me that, in an attempt to make sure that the people around Ichigo are open and honest with him and won't keep him in the dark, Enju becomes the person that keeps the most secrets from him.
> 
> And also how the reason that Enju is upset at Shinji and Urahara is the same reason Ichigo is upset at her.
> 
> Fun stuff.
> 
> This chapter ended up being a lot longer than I expected but I had fun covering all the little arcs at the start. I'm hoping to cover up to the end of the invasion arc for the next chapter :3c
> 
> I plan on adding stuff for the movies and the anime fillers as a collection of side stories.
> 
> 07/19/2020 Unedited version.


	3. Down the Rabbit Hole

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Texas from Arknights but without the wolf ears and with orange eyes and a small bun on one side of her hair is very close to how I picture Enju's face and hair. Someday I'll draw a visual reference maybe…
> 
> Last chapter me said that I hoped to cover up to the end of the invasion arc for this chapter. I regret to inform you all that last chapter me forgot how many small arcs there were left and how long the soul society invasion arc actually was. The soul society invasion arc will actually start next chapter and will probably take a couple chapters to finish.

_The Agent of the Shinigami Arc (3/3)_

* * *

When Enju steps off the train at the station closest to home, Shinji is waiting for her, despite her not having told anyone she was heading back. She briefly entertains the thought of ignoring him and snipping that she'd forgotten what he looks like if he comments, but she's just finished several long exams and the stress of being cut off from the situation has been making it difficult to sleep in what little time she does get to rest.

She must look really bad, because he doesn't tease when she walks up him and leans into his arm. He pats her head. "Let's get ya home."

"Mmm."

* * *

Enju returns home the night before Ichigo's birthday, intending on surprising him. She doesn't expect to be greeted by Rukia, as though the shinigami is a member of the household. Then again, she'd stop receiving updates from Urahara or Hirako the moment Rukia had stepped into town, and she ought to have known that there would be changes resulting from all of their actions.

Nevertheless, seeing Rukia integrated so well into the family in her absence, well…

It's a ridiculous thought that she knows isn't true and is only being brought on by stress and lack of sleep. But it feels as though she's been replaced.

Of course, she hasn't gotten to where she is now by not being able to repress any ugly thoughts that surface, so she simply tucks the new monsters away in the darker corners of her heart and smiles through dinner. If the prank she plans to play on Ichigo is a shade more mean than she would usually go for, well, she tucks that thought away too.

"Good evening, Ichigo. Would you like to explain to me why there is a female shinigami sleeping in your closet?"

But Ichigo would not be Ichigo if he wasn't always disrupting her plans. He scowls, shoving whatever he's holding in a pocket and crossing his arms.

"How about _you_ explain why you've been hiding all this stuff about hollows from us? How long have you and Hat and Clogs been preparing for-" he gestures to himself. "And why didn't you ever tell me about my powers? About how they were the reason you stayed away so much?"

Enju's smile falters. She hadn't expected Ichigo would tackle the matter so fast, and in such a direct fashion. He's always accepted it before when she gives an evasive answer and changes the topic, but she can tell he won't accept it right now. Just two months out from under her shadow, and he's grown in leaps and bounds. It unsettles her.

"Does it matter now?" she tries, forcing a smile. "There's nothing I know that you don't know anymore, if you've been in regular contact with Urahara and helping miss Kuchiki with her shinigami duties."

"It _does_ matter," Ichigo snaps. "I thought you had more faith in me."

Enju's smile is gone now. For all that she loves Ichigo, and for all that Ichigo loves her, it doesn't mean they won't ever fight.

"I _do_ have faith in you, Ichigo. You know that. But it wouldn't done anything but unsettled you."

"I'm not that weak," Ichigo snaps. "I would have handled it."

"It's not a matter of weakness. The point is that I preferred that you wouldn't have to deal with it, so it's the choice I made."

"It wasn't your choice to make!"

Enju tugs at her hair. "What would you have had me tell you? "Ichigo, your very existence is putting us in danger and there's nothing we can do about it"?"

"I wanted you to tell me so that we could work through it together!" Ichigo runs a hand through his hair. "I thought we were in this together after mom died." He laughs bitterly. "Guess I was wrong."

Enju flinches sharply. "We are, Ichigo."

Ichigo looks at her with measured eyes. "Who's the guy that used to walk you home from your "part time job"?" Enju stiffens and looks away, and Ichigo gives another bitter laugh. "I'm not stupid, you know."

"I know you're not-"

Ichigo shakes his head. "I'm not mom. Coddling me won't make up for anything."

Enju sucks in a breath sharply, then steps past Ichigo and out the door. She pauses right before she vanishes out of view. "You're welcome to my room, Miss Kuchiki. I see I won't be using it after all."

* * *

Ichigo sits down on the bed heavily, rubbing his face with a groan.

"Ichigo…" Rukia reaches out to place a hand on his shoulder in comfort.

"I fucked up," he sighs. "I just- she comes home and the first thing she says is pretty much "Ichigo why are you hiding something"?"

"I- I think it was supposed to be a joke." Rukia offers. Ichigo groans and falls over sideways to lay down on his bed.

"I know. She always liked to tease like that. But after all we've seen these past few weeks - it wasn't just a couple small things she was hiding from us. I- it just feels like she doesn't trust us. I _know_ it was for our sakes, but that just makes me even angrier. We were supposed to be in this together. And most of all I'm mad that she doesn't seem to think that her own problems matter."

Rukia considers her own relationship with her childhood friend, now estranged. She considers what she's heard of the eldest Kurosaki sibling. "I think that it was her own weakness that drove her to hide everything from you."

Ichigo blinks. "What do you mean?"

"I think that it wasn't that she didn't think you'd be able to handle the truth, or that she was trying to take it all on by herself. But that she didn't think she could help you if you knew the truth about the dangers that your powers posed and struggled with it. With the guilt and whatnot. Perhaps she feared that she wouldn't be able to save you from yourself, and felt that it would have been a failure on her part as your sister, so she tried to arrange it so that she would never need to have to try and fail at all."

Ichigo thinks of seven years ago, of his older sister's near fanatical intensity as she'd forcefully worked her younger siblings through their grief and sorrow and onto acceptance and learning to live with the new (metaphorical) hole in their hearts. He groans.

"I need to- I need to go get her."

Rukia watches fondly as Ichigo stumbles out of the room.

But Enju has vanished, along with the luggage she'd brought back, having apparently intended to stay for a couple days. There's a wrapped parcel on the table.

"It's your birthday gift," Karin says, giving him a stink eye. "She said she's going to stay with a friend to catch up." Neither of them are fooled, of course. Ichigo takes the parcel with a heavy heart and returns to his bedroom.

It's a pack of soul candy, one he recognizes from Urahara's shop. There's a note attached. "Hope this helps. Try to keep out of too much trouble <3"

* * *

The yearly Kurosaki family grave visit happens without Enju this year. She makes her own visit early in the morning, according to Isshin. By the time the rest of the family arrive, the grave has already been cleaned, surroundings sweeper, and a small bouquet of flowers rests on the base of the gravestone. Karin keeps Yuzu between her and Ichigo, her disapproval clear.

This time, instead of Ichigo being cagey and Rukia sneaking out to follow them, she's told what's going on the night before and asked to stay behind. It isn't that she's unwelcome per se, but that it's a very private matter. Even Orihime, long time friend of the family, doesn't intrude on their time at Masaki's grave.

Rukia promises not to interrupt and goes to school, but spends the whole day distracted and unable to focus.

She should leave. She should leave, and minimize the impact on Ichigo's life that she has. The less that Ichigo gets tangled with Soul Society, the better. Look already at the fallout between Ichigo and Enju.

She should leave and face her impending punishment before Ichigo catches on that she's in trouble, because she is entirely certain that Ichigo and his friends would drop everything to save her, and that's just not okay. Because Ichigo is stupidly powerful, but even he can't hope to win against the Gotei 13, but she knows he won't stop trying until he's dead, and that she will not allow.

She makes up her mind. In one week, regardless of if she's properly recovered or not, she'll have Urahara help her return to Seireitei, where she will confess her crime and face her punishment. Urahara will be able to help Ichigo hide, if need be. If nothing else, Enju will make sure no harm comes to Ichigo. Enju hasn't returned since leaving, but all of them feel her reiatsu at the far fringes of their senses, always watching over them.

She won't say a word to Central 46 about who she transferred her powers to. Ichigo's life will never go back to normal, and he might hate her for vanishing on him, but he and his friends won't be put in mortal danger for someone like her.

* * *

Grand Fisher shows up. Without Rukia to explain how the hollow works, Ichigo has to piece the puzzle together by himself. When he realizes the truth, the trick used to end his mother's life, the rage he flies into is stronger than anything he's ever felt before.

Grand Fisher still escapes. Ichigo falls unconscious right after he sees a glimpse of long black hair.

* * *

Enju runs a hand through her reckless, foolish little brother's hair as Shinji heals him back up to a point that his natural recovery will be able to handle the rest.

"Thank you," she says softly.

"Ain't nothin' to it." The two of them vanish in a flicker of light.

Ichigo wakes up with nothing more than a pounding headache and the taste of dried blood in his mouth, wondering if he imagined the whole thing.

* * *

The Don Kanonji fiasco goes more or less the same way Enju remembers. She watches the entire thing from the Visored's living room, equal parts amused and concerned.

"I'm sure if ya went back now he'd apologize and everything'd be right as rain," Shinji muses.

Enju lays her head down on her arms on the kotatsu and closes her eyes. "He's happy with his friends. I don't want to interrupt that." She ignores the look she can feel Shinji giving her.

* * *

"We need a group chat," Keigo announces the next morning at school. "Ichigo, do you have any idea how terrifying it was to see that on live TV?!"

"That's a good idea," Orihime chirps. "That way if something happens we'll all know."

Their group chat is named _Ghost Busters_ much to Enju's amusement. She's touched that they thought to add her, despite all of them knowing that she's avoiding her family right now. She's sure they all have their opinions on the distance she's keeping. 

Ichigo's words had hurt, but they hadn't been wrong. He'd yelled, but all she'd felt was his concern. Her silence is born from nothing but hurt pride.

* * *

When hollows start to vanish between Rukia receiving an alert and she and Ichigo showing up at the pinged location, Enju visits Urahara to prepare - or rather, to panic.

"Can't you do something about that?" Kon asks, pointing at Enju as she paces back and forth in the shoten. 

"She already knows anything I might say," Urahara replies calmly. "There's nothing to do but wait out this storm."

Enju's phone begins to beep. She sits down immediately, clutching the device like a lifeline as she watches the messages.

* * *

Deathberry: Some weirdo who hates shinigami just did smth and said ton of hollows on the way be careful stay tgther

MelonSoda: Um???? By ton of hollows do you mean more than usual should we start running

FashionPrincess: It was Ishida-kun from the arts and crafts club he said he used smthing called hollow bait?

KarateQueen: @Firefly ????? Plz help wtffff

Firefly: Hollow bait will attract hollows in high numbers. Looking at Urahara's scanners, it was a high quality bait that was used. If it's already been mixed into the air, it will be difficult to neutralize without knowing the exact sort used. Prepare for a battle of attrition.

KarateQueen: Well shit. @FashionPrincess you're with Ichigo now?

FashionPrincess: Yes, close to school. Rukia's with us too

KarateQueen: Aight stay together. I'm in the school, I'll go find @MelonSoda and @SuperiodMelonSoda

SuperiorMelonSoda: Please and thank you.

MelonSoda: If we survive this I'll take you out to all you can eat Yakiniku @KarateQueen

KarateQueen: Score~

Deathberry: @Soccer4Life @Crafts4Life @Firefly @Chadster where r you guys

Firefly: The shoten

Crafts4Life: Home with dad

Soccer4Life: Heading home from soccer, I sent the goons back home too. Should I have stayed with em?

Chadster: I will head to Ichigo's

Deathberry: Thanks Chad

Firefly: @all find a safe place that's easily defendable and don't leave it. I'm heading out with Urahara.

Deathberry: what

Deathberry: no

Deathberry: nee-san don't just stay in the shoten

Deathberry: please nee-san don't go

Firefly: Don't be silly, I've been handling hollows longer than the rest of you combined. Just focus on staying alive.

Deathberry: nee-san please don't I'm sorry about everything I said just please stay inside with hatnclog

Deathberry: nee-san please

MelonSoda: … Well, shit

* * *

In the end, fate is more robust than often given credit for. Chad still bumps into Karin, though in a different place, but there's no confusion of what they're facing, no blindness for Chad. He brings Karin home and stands guard outside, not letting any get close.

Ichigo drops Orihime off with Tatsuki, Keigo, and Mizuiro. They are still attacked by the parasitic hollow, their classmates possessed, Tatsuki among them. Orihime awakens her Shun Shun Rikka and makes short work of the hollows. She heals her classmates and friends and puts up a shield.

Ichigo tracks down Ishida. This time, he's sacred and upset and angry and far less forgiving. He wastes no time in decking him across the face and lifting him up by his shirt collar.

"What the _fuck,_ " he snarls, "do you think you're trying to pull here."

Ishida snorts. "Scared, Kurosaki?"

Ichigo raises his free fist and has to be held back by Rukia.

"You have a problem with me, you hash it out with _me_ ," he breathes, his rage a slow, simmering volcano. "You don't put other innocent people in danger." _You don't put my sisters in danger._

"It doesn't matter because I'll destroy all the hollows anyways," Ishida snaps. "I'm not like you shinigami. I can do it."

The look of pure disgust and disdain that Ichigo sends the archer says all he needs to say to his classmate as he drops the boy. "Let's go, Rukia."

"Wait, Kurosaki-"

Ichigo swings his sword around to point dangerously close to Ishida's nose. "Shut up," he says flatly. "You're lucky nothing happened to my little sisters in the time it took for them to get to safety, or I would have taken it out of your hide. I don't give a shit about whatever beef you have with shinigami. I stopped caring when you threatened my friends."

He lowers his sword. "My older sister isn't a shinigami. She's a human like you, and she's out there putting her life in danger to clean up after you because _you_ couldn't take the time to rub two brain cells together to think about how fucked up your idea was. If she gets a single scratch on her I'll make you pay."

"As much as I love promises of violence in my name, I think we'd best be off," Enju says lightly, appearing behind them without so much as the scuff of her shoes on the pavement. Ichigo whirls around, and the look on his face is so vulnerable and open that she falters. She doesn't resist when he hugs her, squeezing hard enough that her Blut Vene nearly activates on reflex. She returns the hug just as strong, patting his head.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, don't you dare leave like that again-"

"I'm sorry too," Enju murmurs softly. "It's okay. We'll be fine." Rukia wipes a tear discreetly.

Enju allows the hug to last a little bit longer, then pats his shoulder and steps back. "We need to get going. Urahara says the Menos Grande should be showing up soon."

"That giant hollow collection thing?" Ichigo lets go reluctantly.

"Yes."

Enju holds a hand out to Rukia, who accepts it and is swept into Enju's arms, reinforced with Blut Arterie for extra strength. She and Ichigo are gone in seconds, leaving Ishida alone.

"A… Menos?" Doubt creeps into Ishida's heart. _Did I.. Make a mistake, jii-san?_

* * *

Just like she remembers, Ichigo is able to dispatch the menos by himself. In response to the threat of being wiped out by a Cero, his reiatsu rises to the point that he's able to unleash the prototype of the Getsuga Tenshou. Enju doesn't need to step in. Then his reiatsu proceeds to go out of control.

What Enju doesn't expect is Ishida showing up despite having been so thoroughly rebuffed earlier, and using his abilities as a Quincy to save Ichigo from his own reiatsu, setting things back on track. She supposes the boy did, in the end, want to be a protector, but stewing for years in his own head had likely warped his perception of what would be acceptable and what would not be.

"I made a mistake," the Quincy has the guts to admit, in front of a stormy looking Ichigo. "I owe you a favor, that's why I helped you. Nothing more."

Ichigo's friends learn that it was Ishida responsible for unleashing all the hollows in town and their disapproval is very clear. Ishida keeps his distance afterwards. But they also learn about the Quincy massacre and there's mixed feelings everywhere.

"So he should have done all that bullshit in wherever the shinigami are, or challenged Rukia to a match directly," Tatsuki says, crossing her arms as they gather around Ichigo's desk at lunch. "What did we do to get caught up in this?"

"Isn't it obvious?" Mizuiro smiles. "We're Ichigo's friends, so we get into the trouble that he gets into."

Ichigo scowls. "I don’t know who was in the right or wrong in all of that-" he suspects both sides had valid points and faults- "but I wasn't gonna just let him get away with thinking that what he pulled was okay."

"Well, it's done and over now," Keigo shrugs. "How's your new superpower, Inoue?"

"Oh, it's great," Orihime gushes. "Shun Shun Rikka is really cute and strong." She calls the spirits out and they coo over them.

Rukia remains quiet. They're all under the impression that she's too young to have been a part of the Quincy massacre, and they're right, but she still feels guilty by proxy. Again, it was her presence that had caused this danger to Ichigo and his friends.

"Rukia?" Orihime nudges her, eyes wide with worry. "Is something wrong?"

"Oh, no, everything's fine." Rukia smiles weakly. "I'm just surprised my power still isn't back. I wish I could have been more help during that incident."

"Maybe the doll body thing Urahara lent you is defective?" Tatsuki wonders. Rukia blinks; she hadn't considered that.

Well, it's not like it changes anything. Her promised week is up. Tonight, she leaves.

* * *

"If you made up with nee-chan, then why is she still staying at her "friend's"?" Karin demands, hands on her hips.

"She said she didn't want to kick Rukia out but doesn't like the couch, and her friend had a spare bed anyways." Ichigo shrugs.

"Who's this friend anyways?" Karin scowls. "Nee-chan doesn't _have_ friends." It's mean, but true.

"Is it her boyfriend maybe?" Yuzu ponders, glancing towards the sink underneath where she stores her metal bat.

"The one that's not her boyfriend? Huh, maybe. Do you know anything about that guy, Ichi-nii?"

"No," Ichigo scowls. "I think I might have seen him earlier during the whole hollow bait mess, though, and if she's not staying at Urahara's then that's probably where she is."

Yuzu hums.

* * *

Without Kon to alert him to Rukia's absence, Ichigo falls asleep, assuming that Rukia is also asleep in the neighboring bedroom. He's woken up to his phone going off repeatedly. He jolts awake instantly and grabs it, and the blood drains from his face when he sees the messages in the group chat, increasing in urgency by the second. He doesn't even try to sneak out, slamming his window open and stopping only long enough to swallow a soul candy.

When he gets to the pinned location in the group chat, Orihime stands in front of a profusely bleeding Ishida, her shield cracking but still holding up. Tatsuki has her arms around a shocked looking Rukia, her backpack and outfit instantly letting Ichigo know that she had most certainly not been asleep in Enju's room. He's between them and their attackers in an instant, not bothering with questions or verbal outrage.

"Another one?" the redhead scoffs. "Man, you humans are like ants. There's just no end of you. This is fine, though." The redhead lifts the katana slung over his shoulder. "So you're the one that stole Rukia's powers. Great. You saved me the trouble of hunting you down. Now die." Then he's gone, and Ichigo barely manages to get his sword up in time to avoid losing an arm.

From there, the fight plays out quite similarly to how Enju would have remembered. Despite Orihime and Tatsuki's presence, to Kuchiki Byakuya and Abarai Renji's credit, they are truly only here to retrieve Rukia and kill Ichigo, not to slaughter humans for fun. Orihime's barrier is circumvented easily, Rukia taken back before either of the girls can even attempt to struggle, but neither of them are harmed.

Ichigo lays bleeding to his death on the ground, and in his moment of vulnerability, he thinks, _nee-san, please, nee-san you said you would always be there for me please help I NEED YOU-_

The last thing he sees before he loses conscious is black hair falling like a curtain over his vision.

* * *

The problem with knowing what would come is that Enju still cannot know the exact date and time of any particular event. She arrives too late to stop Kuchiki Byakuya from stabbing Ichigo. She _does_ arrive in time to strike at Abarai Renji when the lieutenant steps on her little brother, eyes full of fury.

Ichigo breaths a sigh of relief and falls unconscious. _Enju-nee will take care of everything._

Her weapon of choice is the usual; a steel pipe she reinforces via her Fullbring. Light and easy to swing, and won't cut herself by accident. The lieutenant is cocky and foolish enough, or perhaps disdainful enough of her status as a human, to attempt to block instead of dodging. Blut Arterie activates as she swings, pumping reishi into her arm in dangerous quantities for just the moment of impact.

Kuchiki Byakuya steps between them, his own blade stopping her pipe. The impact would have numbed her arm had she not switched to Blut Vene instantly.

"C-captain!" Abarai yelps, skidding backwards and blessedly off of Ichigo. Enju pushes forward instead of backing away, and the shock of a human being able to exert such strength gives her enough of an edge to move the captain aside just enough that she can get to Ichigo. She drops the pipe immediately and kneels down beside her little brother.

"I understand that it's a crime to give a human a shinigami's powers," she says, keeping her voice even as she rolls Ichigo over and shrugs off her jacket to press it against the gaping wound on his chest, her heart thudding a mile a minute. "Is it also a crime for a human to accept a shinigami's powers?"

Kuchiki Byakuya stares at her for several tense moments before the captain sheaths his zanpakuto.

"It is not."

"Wait!" Tatsuki calls out. "Enju-nee, they were attacking Rukia! We can't let her go with those creeps!" Orihime skitters over to Ichigo's side, intending on healing him, but Enju grabs her wrist, shaking her head. Not now. Not here. If the shinigami learn too early of Orihime's powers of rejection, they won't leave them alone. Orihime tenses and for a moment Enju wonders if she'll have to fight a battle on two fronts, but Orihime relents.

Kuchiki Byakuya seems to suspect something regardless from the way he pierces Orihime with a stare. But he turns away. "Abarai. Open a Senkaimon."

"Huh?!" The lieutenant scowls. "We're gonna let the thief that took Rukia's powers walk away?"

"I have destroyed his saketsu and hakusui. He is a shinigami no longer." The captain turns his back on them in clear dismissal.

"Still-"

"Stop it, Renji," Rukia says firmly. "Ichigo stole nothing. I offered my powers to him of my own free will. The crimes are mine alone. Nii-sama, I deeply apologize for the trouble I have caused. I intend to face my crimes; I will not run."

"Enju-nee!" Tatsuki yells. Orihime looks between them all with wide, nervous eyes.

Enju keeps her eyes on Ichigo's labored breathing and her senses trained on the two shinigami behind her.

"Nee-san," Rukia says softly, not noticing the way her brother flinches in surprise, just before stepping into the Senkaimon. "Please take care of everyone."

Enju does not reply.

* * *

Tatsuki is furious with her. Enju had expected it. Tatsuki has always been a fighter, has always pushed herself and stood her ground no matter how outclassed she may be, the concept of giving up or running away nothing but a fairy tale in her world. Tatsuki can be furious at her because Ichigo is still alive, because Orihime is unhurt.

Urahara shows up on cue once the shinigami have vanished, bundling Ichigo off after Orihime stabilizes him. Ishida is healed next and he wobbles off right after, nursing nothing more than a wounded pride. Enju is left to walk Orihime and Tatsuki home. She brings them to her home instead.

The noise wakes Yuzu and Karin. It likely wakes Isshin too, but the man stays in his bedroom. The twins take one look at the two girls and bustle them off to the baths.

Enju is gone before the girls can get any answers out of her, leaving only a note that says "Ichigo will be fine. Proceed as usual."

Tatsuki declares loudly that she's going to punch Enju the next time she sees her. The sentiment is shared by Yuzu. Karin and Orihime exchange sad glances.

* * *

Ichigo wakes up slowly, feeling as though he's slept for both a very long time and not nearly enough. Someone's hands are running through his hands, and a familiar voice hums a soft melody.

"… Nee-san?"

"Yes?"

Ichigo breaths a sigh of relief. Nee-san is here. That means that everything must have been taken care of.

"Man, Rukia's gonna kick my ass, isn't she?"

Enju doesn't reply. A curl of dread makes itself known in his stomach.

"… Nee-san? Rukia's alright, isn't she?" _You took down the bad guys and saved us all, right?_

Enju sighs. "Miss Kuchiki has returned to Soul Society."

It takes a moment to register the words. He scrambles to get up, limbs weak and flailing. "What- what do you mean? Why- why didn't you stop her?!" He grabs Enju's shoulders, eyes wide and desperate. "Didn't you see what they did to me? What they were gonna do to her?!"

Enju closes her eyes. When she opens them again, they glint with steel. "They are bringing her back to face trial. They aren't going to kill her." _Not yet._ "Ensuing you survived was my first priority. Ishida was gravely injured too."

"But, trial? That bullshit about her being a criminal because she helped me save Yuzu and Karin?! We both know that can't be right!"

"Miss Kuchiki left of her own will."

"Cause she was trying to protect us!"

Enju grabs Ichigo's wrists and pulls his hands off her shoulders. "I am not invincible, Ichigo, and I had to protect the rest of you. If I had seriously engaged them in combat the only one walking away would have been me."

"But-" Ichigo's face crumples.

"Even if we had taken her back then, the shinigami would simply have sent someone stronger to retrieve her. I'm sorry, Ichigo." She lets go of his wrists and stands up. "But my first priority will always be you."

* * *

"Oi, how long do you plan on moping?" Kon nudges his foot as he sets dinner on the ground beside his futon. Ichigo scowls and bats him away. Kon sniffs. "Fine then. Urahara says to go see him and Enju-nee when you're done eating."

The thought of his sister brings a grimace to his face. Ichigo knows. He _knows_ that his sister isn't all-knowing or all-powerful, he could tell that the enemies they'd faced that night were monsters neither of them could match up to.

But all his life, Enju has always been that indomitable, undefeated figure, someone who always had an answer and always seemed to be able to do anything effortlessly. So he'd thought she would have definitely been able to save Rukia too, to pull off a miracle like she always did. The fact that she hadn't been able to…

He almost feels _betrayed_. And that's just _stupid,_ because that's not Enju-nee's fault _at all_. 

But still. If Enju-nee wasn't going to be perfect, then he wishes, just a little bit, that she hadn't led him to believe that she was.

It's a dark and bitter thought, accompanied by the echoes of a distant cackle.

* * *

His frustration is cleared that very night, when Urahara announces his ability to open a path to Soul Society and his offer to train Ichigo to the point where it would no longer be a suicide run. Ichigo scratches the back of his head, guilt in his heart. Of course Enju-nee wouldn't have just abandoned Rukia. Enju-nee always had plans.

Enju waves his apology away. "I understand how you feel, Ichigo. If Rukia is half as important to you as you are to me, then it's no wonder you would have been upset."

"Still." Ichigo frowns. Enju sighs and reaches up to poke the wrinkles on his forehead.

"Come here." She pats her lap. Ichigo's face reddens. He'd spent many hours napping on Enju's lap as a toddler while she read to him. Except he's not a toddler anymore.

"I'm not a kid anymore, nee-san-"

"It's for my sake." Only then does he notice the stress in the stiff line of her shoulders. "We will be embarking on an extremely dangerous mission with all the odds stacked against us. Your training tomorrow will put your very life at stake in order to regain your powers. Let me do this."

Ichigo quietly lays down on Enju's lap without further protest. He closes his eyes as she begins running her fingers through his hair. Before he realizes it, the fatigue sets in and he falls asleep.

* * *

Enju looks down fondly at Ichigo as he sleeps. He would not be who he was if he did not risk his life so willingly for those he cares for. Even so, as futile as it is, she entertains the thought of leaving without him. Of snatching Rukia away with Yoruichi's help, hiding her in Urahara's reiatsu-sapping gigai until she becomes a human, even if she would hate her for it.

But she can't, because she knows that's not what Ichigo wants either.

Urahara places a hand on her shoulder while Yoruichi leans into her thigh. "It'll be alright."

"… Yes."

* * *

Before Ichigo begins his training, Enju tells him, "If you call for me, I will most definitely save you. But that will mean the end of your training. Do you understand?"

Ichigo hugs her tightly. "Yeah. Don't worry."

Enju sits above the trapdoor to the basement training room and watches from a safe distance as Ichigo overcomes impossibility after impossibility. She has to be coaxed away to eat and sleep once Ichigo enters the shattered shaft, on threat of being knocked out and force fed.

(Not once does Ichigo call her name, even as he screams and yells. Enju is simultaneously proud and scared.)

When Ichigo calls Zangetsu's name, the burst of relief she feels nearly overwhelms her. The hardest part - for now - is over.

Ichigo recovers successfully, his recovery sped along by Orihime who uses the opportunity to practice using Shun Shun Rikka. She and Chad are called back to train with him, both to be able to fight together better and to get exposed to his reiatsu some more.

"If you're going to be around him and get dragged into his problems anyways, you may as well benefit and get as strong as you can," Yoruichi reasons.

For a similar reason, Enju leaves.

* * *

"Are ya sure about this?" Shinji asks. "Ya may be built ta take in hollow reiatsu, but yer still a human. There's no tellin' what'll happen."

"It's a risk I'll have to take," Enju says firmly. "Don't worry, I have no intention of incapacitating myself days before we go."

"… Alright, then. Oi, Rose, Kensei, c'mere a sec. Hachi, you too."

* * *

Tatsuki, Keigo, Mizuiro Yuzu, and Karin are kept in the loop, but they are not permitted to enter Soul Society with them.

"There's reckless," Yoruichi says, "and then there's just plain stupid."

Tatsuki scowls, but all of them of them stay behind obediently. The twins hug their older siblings tightly.

"You'd better come back with Rukia," Karin growls.

"I'll make Rukia's favorite dumplings for her," Yuzu promises.

Urahara trains Ichigo to within an inch of his life, dumps him in the recovery hot springs, has Orihime heal up anything more severe, and repeats the process, stopping only for meals and sleep.

Ichigo thrives in the one-on-one attention, his combat capabilities growing exponentially. His friends are impressed and relieved; the stronger he is, the better chance they will have. Urahara, on the other hand, is almost intimidated by the explosive growth. He'd known Ichigo's potential under stress, but it's different seeing it in person. Nevertheless, he keeps his thoughts to himself and continues to beat Ichigo into the dirt on an hourly basis.

What Ichigo needs now more than combat ability is situational judgement. The ability to know when he should retreat, and when he should press onward even when outclassed. And most importantly, the experience of being utterly thrashed and still having the mental fortitude to get back up.

"It's a real good thing Enju-nee isn't here," Keigo snickers as he watches Ichigo eat dust for the third time. It's not even lunch yet.

"Who do you think trained her?" Yoruichi snorts. "She knows what's happening to Ichigo right now. Well, we had more time so we weren't nearly as rough with her, but the basics were the same. Though she didn't really have much in the way of weapons, so we focused more on the dodging and running away part."

"O-oh."

Finally, the ten days of training come to an end. Enju returns on the last day, her reiatsu feeling tumulus and thick with something almost sinister. Ichigo and his friends recognize it as hollow reiatsu instantly and give her simultaneously weirded out and concerned looks, but Urahara and Yoruichi do not react any different from usual, so none of them bring up the topic. No one wants to cause stress and discord right before they go, and they've long given up on trying to understand the logic of spirit powers.

(They know that Enju would never, ever do something that would be dangerous to Ichigo.)

"Your training went well, I see," Urahara murmurs.

"Mmm. Shinji roped the rest of them into helping me."

"Oho? _Shinji,_ not Hirako-san?"

Enju scowls. "It would have been weirder to not just call him Shinji when everyone else was calling him that."

"Oh, of course, of course," Urahara grins. "Well, best of luck, then."

"On _what._ "

Ishida is there too, standing a little bit off to one side, reminding Enju of a cat pretending to not be where it is.

Urahara explains how his makeshift Senkaimon works, and what passing through the Dangai will be like, along with the many risks. This time, he also adds the risk of encountering the Janitor.

"What kind of death trap of a passageway did these shinigami make?" Tatsuki scowls, having showed up to send them off. Much of her temper towards Enju has cooled after having been allowed to smack the girl's arm.

"It's usually perfectly safe, _if_ you're a proper shinigami with permission to use a Senkaimon and a Hell Butterfly," Yoruichi explains wryly. "This very system was put in place to make it difficult for souls to jump around the worlds all willy-nilly, in order to maintain the balance."

"We'll be fine if we just keep on running forward as fast as we can, right?" Orihime asks.

"Of course," Yoruichi sniffs. " _I_ whipped you guys into shape, after all. If something as slow and predictable as the Janitor catches you, you all deserve to be trapped in there, but worse comes to worse Enju and I have ways."

"You're a demon in disguise and I don't know how nee-san survived all these years training under you," Ichigo mutters.

Yoruichi's eyes glint. "What was that, brat?"

"Nothing."

"Hmph."

Tatsuki gives Orihime one last bruising hug and threatens Ichigo with violence if anything happens to her best friend. Keigo and Mizuiro wave. Yuzu holds back tears and she and Karin watch.

Urahara activates the senkaimon and shinigami-human, human, Quincy, two fullbringers, and a cat run through.

This time, instead of standing and gawking, the ragtag group is far better trained. They don't dawddle to stare and gape. They _run._

The Janitor shows up still and Enju curses profusely in the safety of her mind. She sweeps up Orihime in Blut Arterie reinforced arms while Chad lifts Ishida over his shoulder and they run like death is on their heels, leaping out just in the nick of time. Ichigo and Chad crash land, Ishida's fall broken by Chad. Enju skips down briskly with practiced applications of Bringer Light with Orihime in her arms, who heals any injuries they sustained from their crash landing. Yoruichi leaps up onto Enju's shoulder.

Ichigo runs for Seireitei, the wall comes crashing down, and Jidanbo the gate guardian introduces himself with a booming voice.

Enju takes a deep breath, Yoruichi's weight grounding her.

They're at the start line now.

"Game on," she murmurs.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Group chat names:
> 
> Deathberry - Ichigo (chosen by Yuzu)  
> Firefly - Enju (chosen by Yuzu)  
> FashionPrincess - Orihime (chosen by Tatsuki)  
> KarateQueen - Tatsuki (chosen by Orihime)  
> Chadster - Chad (chosen by Karin)  
> MelonSoda - Keigo (he changes his chat name every week or so depending on his mood,what his lunch was, the latest anime he watched, etc.)  
> SuperiorMelonSoda - Mizuiro (he also changes his chat name frequently)  
> Soccer4Life - Karin  
> Crafts4Life - Yuzu
> 
> Rukia couldn't join cause she didn't have a human world cell phone, but she was pretty much glued to Ichigo's side anyways so she didn't miss anything.
> 
> Ichigo and co are actually rly disturbed about the Quincy massacre but they're also teens trying to not get eaten by ghost monsters and pass exams. Gotta prioritize.
> 
> Tatsuki is the most visibly frustrated about not being able to go to Soul Society because her solution to most problems (Orihime's bullies, their groper of a classmate, hollows, etc.) has always been to punch it until it's no longer a problem but she can't punch Soul Society. Yet.
> 
> Next couple chapters are probably gonna be slower to update because I'm rereading the manga to refresh myself on the details as I go. Even if Enju doesn't remember every last details, I'll need to lol
> 
> 07/24/2020 First post
> 
> 07/24/2020 Edited to add a few lines near the end for Ishida who suddenly appeared without any segue lololol


	4. The Seireitei

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Man the whole Aizen arc had better storytelling than I remembered. 
> 
> I started this chapter thinking it would be something I'd just have to power through quickly to get to the more interesting stuff I had planned, but it actually ended up being quite fun to write. I didn't expect to finish it so soon either. I'm on a rolllll
> 
> Canon plot basically goes out the window at this point.

_The Soul Society Arc (1/4)_

* * *

There are many things Ishida Uryuu regrets in his life. Not hugging his mother more before she died. Not trying harder to stop his father from doing the autopsy on her. Not spending more time with Jii-chan before he was killed (murdered, betrayed for his ideals and beliefs, left to die like an _animal_ ). And, yes, using the hollow bait in an attempt to provoke Kurosaki Ichigo and Kuchiki Rukia. He'd seen the destruction caused afterwards and truly realized the consequences of his short-sightedness (hah).

And right now, he wonders if going along with this ragtag reckless group will become another regret.

He isn't Kuchiki's friend by any means. The opposite, if anything. He stepped in to defend Inoue and Arisawa from two murderous shinigami that turned out to _maybe_ not be that murderous, not to protect another shinigami. He could have left this well alone.

But he just can't forget the way Inoue, Arisawa, the Kurosaki siblings, and even Kuchiki, another shinigami, had stepped in to protect him when he'd been cut down.

"You should live a normal, happy life, Uryuu," Jii-san had said, the one time the man had agreed with his estranged son. "But I'm very happy that you're interested in our history as Quincies."

The thing is, Uryuu _knows._ He _knows_ that the Quincies aren't the righteous white knights that their history depicts them as. He knows that the shinigami didn't wipe them out on a whim, even if he will never, ever agree with the execution order.

He reads between the lines, can understand what is _not_ being said in their meticulous records. He looks at carefully maintained bloodlines, at the way the Quincies are divided between Echt and Gemischt. He'd grown up in one of the main household branches when he was a toddler. He'd seen how the two family lines are treated.

So he knows. He's no fool. He knows that his pride and sentimentality towards his Quincy history is really only because Jii-chan had loved talking about it. After Mother had died, after Father had stopped talking to him, Jii-chan had been his only source of warmth. So he'd clung obsessively to their heritage, because Jii-chan was happiest when they talked about it and he would have done anything to make Jii-chan happy because when Jii-chan was happy, it was some of the few times he was happy too.

And afterwards, it had been sheer spite, knowing that his father didn't want him involved in Quincy matters, that had him clinging to the thing that had gotten Jii-chan killed.

So he tells himself that he's only getting even with the shinigami that had kicked him down, that he's just jumping at the opportunity to get revenge on the group that left Jii-chan to die because he can't get to Soul Society himself, that he's not here because he briefly saw Inoue's bruised and beaten face before she'd managed to heal herself, in the aftermath of his hollow bait, and the image has haunted his dreams ever since.

He tells himself that Inoue's measured, contemplative glance towards him, subtly cautious in a way that she never directs at her other friends, doesn't make him feel like he's failed at being a decent human being, never mind a Quincy, and he isn't here just because he wants to feel a little less like a screw-up lately.

He tells himself it has nothing to do with the oppressive silence of his house, with how he knew his father had noticed him sneaking out and hadn't even bothered to check if he was okay when he stumbled home, the phantom feeling of a blade cutting through him still on his shoulder, when he woke up the next morning, a scream on the tip of his tongue, shaking.

He's here now and he'll make the most of this opportunity.

That is, if Kurosaki Ichigo doesn't get them all killed first.

"Yeah? Come at me then. Maybe I'll finally have to use more than one hand," Kurosaki taunts in reply to Jidanbo the giant gate guardian claiming that he'll use his full power in the next strike. Uryuu despairs that the younger Kurosaki seems to have gotten all the muscles and height and none of the sensibility that his older sister always carries herself with.

Strangely, said older sister doesn't make a move to stop her reckless little brother, which is quite different from the rumors he'd heard. Rumors involving yakuza and local young high school yankees receiving a visit from a vengeful fallen angel shortly after attempting to pick a fight with a certain orange headed teenager (Attempted, because it was always the teenager that walked away the victor of those scuffles). Or rumors involving how a girl who had tried to bully one of her younger sister had ended up _expelled_ and _moving out of the province_ after a certain Kurosaki had gotten involved.

The point is, for someone infamous for how protective she is over her siblings, Uryuu finds it very odd that she doesn't so much as move into a ready stance to interfere should Kurosaki need help.

As though hearing his thoughts, the older Kurosaki turns to give him a wan smile. "Ichigo will be fine. He can't be injured by the likes of that one. And he needs some more combat experience against people." And indeed, Uryuu watches in faint awe and a little bit of fear as Kurosaki the younger withstands Jidanbo's barrage with ease before destroying the giant's axes.

He flinches sharply when a piece of debris goes flying at him faster than he can react, but Kurosaki the older (and okay, it's getting confusing referring to them both as Kurosaki and it would be rude to the sister to just call her "the female Kurosaki." The sister becomes Enju-san in the privacy of his mind) is there, hand outstretched to deflect the debris. It grazes off her shirt sleeve, tearing it slightly, but the skin underneath is unscathed.

More importantly though, Uryuu has a near heart attack when he sees the branching dark lines on her skin. They're black instead of blue, but they're unmistakably the lines from Blut Vene.

Enju-san quickly lowers her arm, shifting the torn sleeve to cover her arm again, but it's too late and both of them know it. None of the others except for maybe the talking cat (and isn't that hilarious, in a haha-if-I-don't-laugh-I'll-probably-scream-instead way) seem to know the significance of the marks, likely just accepting it as another spirit power thing, but Uryuu-

Uryuu feels like his mind has broken just a little bit.

_Kurosaki Enju is a Quincy._

* * *

They get past the encounter with Jidanbo and with Ichimaru Gin, though the way Ichimaru's eyes widen to stare at her briefly unnerves her, moving onto the encounter with Shiba Ganju.

(Ishida won't stop staring at her. Enju ignores it.)

Because Ganju isn't blind, he notices Ichigo's resemblance to the late Shiba Kaien, along with Enju's hair color.

"That's your sister?" Ganju asks right before leaving. His serious expression is likely what stops Ichigo's hackles from raising.

"Yeah, what's it to you?" Ichigo asks, gruff but without any real heat. He has reluctant respect for Ganju after their scuffle; Ganju is a smart fighter and a street fighter and Ichigo can appreciate that in a guy.

"… Nothing," Ganju says before riding off.

Yoruichi doesn't need to scratch sense onto Ichigo's face this time to distract him from Ganju's challenge, all of them focused on their goal. They meet Shiba Kukaku, and, wow, the lady is way prettier in person than on paper. They meet Shiba Ganju again, but this time when Kukaku goes to punch the two bickering fools, Enju reacts on instinct before Yoruichi can stop her, her hand stopping Kukaku's foot before it can connect with Ichigo's cheek. Ishida's stare intensifies.

"I'd appreciate it if you didn't manhandle my little brother like that," she demures, backing away immediately after and releasing the woman's foot. There are things she won't allow, but she doesn't intend to challenge Kukaku on her own turf when the woman is breaking about a dozen laws to help them break into Seireitei. That's just rude and ungrateful.

Kukaku stares for a moment, then laughs. "Alright, but you'll have to whip him into shape for me, then."

"Of course," Enju replies. "Thank you for the assistance."

They begin their boot camp training for the Kukaku Canon entry method, with results going about as expected; Orihime managing ti just fine, Ishida and Chad achieving passable results, and Ichigo's gigantic pool of reiatsu getting in the way. Enju herself has been using reishi for a decade now and masters it with ease.

She leaves the boys to their practice, knowing that Ganju will tell Ichigo the trick to getting the hang of it, and motions for Ishida to follow her outside. They might as well get this over with before they enter Seireitei and are potentially separated. Ishida is very clever but tends to stew in his head if left alone.

"Urahara told me that Soul Society was technologically behind the modern world, but it's different seeing it in person," Enju remarks, looking over at the Rukongai districts sprawled in front of them. "It feels like I'm in a movie set."

Ishida adjusts his glasses nervously. "That was Blut Vene earlier, wasn't it?"

Well, he certainly cuts right to the chase. She turns around to face him. "Yes."

Ishida is silent for several moments, and she can almost see the hamster in his mind spinning at the wheel. "The Kurosaki family never had an Isshin in the records."

So he's done his research. Either that, or he bothered to memorize all the Quincy bloodlines. Knowing Ishida, either is equally possible. "It wouldn't. Isshin married in and took our mother's name."

"A… An unaccounted-for gemischt Quincy?" A very polite way to say _a bastard child._ Enju shrugs.

"My mother died when I was eleven and my father doesn't talk to us about spirit matters. Not that it would matter either way, because I'm sure you've noticed-" She raises her reiatsu gently, just a little bit, allowing wisps of her hollow reiatsu to be felt. "I'm unable to use most Quincy techniques. The Blut techniques are pretty much all I can use."

Ishida shivers. So he hadn't been imagining that. "You- how did that happen?"

"I was born like this."

All truths, but none of them that would lead Ishida to any real truths if he went digging. She remembers Shinji saying she reminded him of Aizen. She knows he'd only been attempting to get a reaction out of her, but she can't help but think the comparison is apt, even if she comes nowhere close to his machinations. Even if their core reasons for the deception are different.

"But- If you're a Quincy, you should have been born with Quincy powers too. What happened?"

Enju lets her smile fall as she turns around.

"I lost them seven years ago, on June seventeenth. My mother died that day as well." She hears Ishida inhale sharply. He would be very familiar with that date, or at least the time frame. It's the same time frame where his own mother died.

He doesn't press any further. If he's a Quincy, if he's been educated in his culture, if he's done the research, if he's attempted to get to the root of his mother's death, he knows what that date means.

"… Why was I the only one spared?" he asks, voice soft and vulnerable. It's a question she's asked herself several times. He leaves soon after.

She stays outside for a while, watching the sunset from under a tree. It's particularly gorgeous here in this heian-period like setting, if she ignores the clearly lacking living conditions.

Her next visitor is Kukaku. The woman leans against the tree next to her and takes a sip from her bottle of sake. "So you're Isshin's kid?" She must have been reminiscing with Yoruichi.

"Yes. Should I call you Kukaku-obasan?"

"Fuck no, I'm not that old," Kukaku laughs. "Isshin was more of a distantly related uncle if anything. Call me Kukaku-nee. You must have gotten your personality from whoever Isshin married, cause Isshin didn't have even half of your brains and common sense." 

Enju preens at the praise that doubles as a rib at Isshin. It's an exaggeration, of course; Isshin may not be the best father, but you can't say he doesn't try, and by all accounts he'd been an excellent captain.

"Can you tell me about her?" Kukaku asks. "The woman that Isshin threw away everything for."

Enju hums. "Maybe after this is all over." Probably not then. She doesn't like talking about Masaki.

Kukaku shrugs her acceptance and Enju's opinion of the woman raises. They stay out until the sun goes out and head back in for dinner.

They go over their plan during dinner. Enju has little faith that they'll be able to execute it fully, but having a plan at all will help to gather everyone together again should they be separated. They won't charge in riding on luck and protagonist plot armor this time.

A restless night, a near-accident with Ichigo's massive reiatsu levels, and then they're inside the Kukaku canon and ready to go. 

Forewarned of Ichigo's inability to control his reiatsu, they decide to take advantage of it instead. Instead of a controlled landing, they'll use Ichigo's reiatsu to punch right through the Shakonmaru, using the shock of the impact to leave the scene before they're discovered.

Of course, Ichigo never fails to surprise. They tell him not to hold back, but they forget about his explosive exponential growth curve. Ichigo, having been warned that the cannonball failing will mean them meeting a dusty end against the Shakonmaru, shoves every bit of reiatsu he can grasp into the cannonball.

The cannonball punches through Seireitei's prized barrier, then promptly explodes from the reiatsu overload. 

They have exactly two and point three of a second before the swirling reiatsu flings them outwards. Warned of this possibility, Everyone grabs onto each other with death grips, looping arms and grabbing limbs and not just sleeves.

Everyone except Orihime, who misses Chad's hand when he reaches for her. 

Enju lets go of Ichigo and leaps towards Orihime with Bringer Light, grabbing the girl around the waist. Orihime twists to get her hands around Enju's shoulders in turn.

Two groups go flying in different directions.

* * *

All of Seireitei freezes as they watch the invaders break through what had always been assumed to be an unbreakable barrier.

Renji watches as the clusters of familiar and unfamiliar reiatsu go flying. The human that stole Ichigo's powers is in one group, and the human that his captain had felt the need to personally stop is in the other. Despite himself, he's relieved, and glad. Those people didn't just throw away Rukia when she was no longer of any use. They're vastly outnumbered and no doubt horribly outclassed, but they came anyways.

Moments later, the alarms sound in earnest.

From where he's managing the rest of his division, Aizen allows himself a small smile. _How amusing. This ragtag group is the best you have to offer, Urahara Kisuke?_

* * *

"Let go of me, Ganju! Nee-san and Orihime are-"

"Shut _up_ you idiot or they'll find us-"

"Kurosaki, your reiatsu-"

 _Save me from idiot kids with too much power and too little sense who think that they can take on the world,_ Yoruichi sighs. Out loud, she snaps, "Silence, all of you. Enju will be _fine._ She's been training under me for years. She won't be caught, and she won't let Orihime be caught."

Ichigo struggles against Ganju's grip a moment longer, but relents, a worried scowl on his face. 

"I know it's useless to tell you not to worry about them," Yoruichi continues, "but you have to try anyways. Let Enju handle herself and Orihime. We all went over what to do if we were separated. We'll meet up with her sooner or later."

Chad clasps Ichigo's shoulder. "Believe in Enju-nee," he says softly. Ichigo nods and steels himself. They set off with quiet, determined footsteps.

* * *

Of all the people for Enju to be stuck alone in Seireitei with, Orihime is on the top of her list. Ichigo would fuss and hover, Chad is annoyingly stubborn and would do his best to drag her back to the rest of the group, Yoruichi would most certainly not allow her to do some of what she plans on doing, and Ishida and Ganju are more or less strangers for all that both of them are relatives.

Ichigo may have a saving people thing, but he's not the only one. Enju's number one priority will always be Ichigo and she will prioritize his life over anyone else's, but that does not mean that when a chance presents itself, she will kick away an outstretched hand rather than grasp it.

"Do you trust me with your safety, Orihime? With your life?" she asks, not a trace of amusement or joke in her expression.

"Yes," Orihime replies without hesitation.

"Right, then," she says, touched at the girl's unwavering faith. "There's a few people I'd like to rescue along with Kuchiki Rukia."

* * *

In the end, they're still waylaid by Madarame Ikkaku and Ayasegawa Yumichika. Due to the narrow space of the alleyways, Chad and Ichigo form the frontline, while Ishida and Ganju support from the rear. Yoruichi watches everything with a sharp eye, ready to jump in if anything gets messy.

Ikkaku and Yumichika remain together this time, and the two make a formidable pair, but they're outnumbered and unmotivated.

"Go on, then," Ikkaku says after Ichigo manages to break his spear, laying against the broken wall. "I can figure out when I'm beat."

"You're gonna let us go so easily?" Ichigo blinks. "Isn't that like, treason or something?"

Ikkaku laughs. "Letting you go? Hardly. I ain't gonna get the fight I want with all of you bunched up like a pack of meercats. No, I'm saving you for my captain."

"Your captain?"

"Zaraki Kenpachi of the eleventh," Ikkaku grins. "He loves a good fight more than anything and doesn't care what the rest of us get up to. You're heading for that Kuchiki girl, right?"

The group stiffens, Ishida nearly drawing his bow before Yoruichi nips his ear to stop him.

Ikkaku laughs. "He'll meet you there, then. Don't die before he gets to fight you, yeah?"

Ichigo looks to Yumichika, hoping the man's friend will make more sense. Yumichika shrugs. "It's as Ikkaku says. There's no point in holding you here now that we know your objective. We could probably defeat you if we went all out, but that's just inelegant when we know our captain wants to fight you."

Ichigo sighs. Why do shinigami all have to be so weird?

"Isn't it bad that they know our objective?" Ishida whispers to the cat now settled on his shoulders.

"Byakuya-bou would have recognized our reiatsu when we crashed in anyways," Yoruichi dismissed. "They'll already know what we're after. It changes nothing." Their plan had been made with Seireitei knowing their goal in mind. Ishida hesitates, but puts his bow away. For all the boy rants about his hatred for shinigami, he's not a murderer at heart, in cold _or_ hot blood. It will take a little more than some danger for him to truly attempt to kill a shinigami. She hopes that soft side of him won't get him injured or killed.

They forge onward, remaining above-ground. Yoruichi is aware of the hidden tunnel network under Seireitei, but so is the second division, who have very good sensors capable of hiding their presence. Safer to remain above ground with such a big group, where they don't risk as much a stealthy assassination.

Whether by luck or by Yoruichi's expert navigation (the roads haven't changed much even after a century), they don't bump into anyone else until they reach their destination.

"Welcome," Yoruichi says, jumping down in front of the hidden doorway built into the back of a warehouse, "to the Shihouin clan estate."

* * *

_"Eh? We're going to hide in your old family's home, Yoruichi-san?" Yoruichi supposes the boy can't be blamed for his surprise, seeing as he's still unaware that Yoruichi isn't actually a talking cat._

_"Yep." She licks a paw and sets it back down. "My little brother, Yuushiro, will hide us while we scout out the exact situation and determine what to do next."_

_Ichigo blinks. "Um, will we all fit?"_

_Yoruichi snorts. "That won't be a problem." In a flash of reiatsu and a cloud of dust, she reverts to her humanoid form. Ichigo gives an entertaining shriek, Chad immediately looks away, Ishida does an excellent impression of a stone statue, Orihime squeaks, and Enju sighs. Yoruichi cackles as Urahara hands over his haori._

_"My clan, Shihouin, is one of the four noble clans of Seireitei. Well, I may have caused some trouble when I left, but the point is there's more enough space there to hide us without us bumping into anyone else even in the clan. As long as Ichigo's ridiculous reiatsu doesn't go crazy, we'll be well hidden with a base of operations." Ichigo scowls._

_No one dares to ask the burning question of_ why did you leave.

_"And after that?"_

_"We figure out exactly what's going on and go from there."_

_"Huh?"_

_Yoruichi rests her hand in her palm, elbow on her knee. "Transferring a shinigami's powers is a crime punishable by execution, but that's only in cases of malice, intent to harm or extreme neglect. Unless someone higher up's got it out for her, whatever her punishment is, it shouldn't be execution. Maybe she'll get out of it with a slap of her wrist and then we can grab her and talk to her about what she wants to do and no one will have to fight anyone."_

_"… But?" Ishida asks, adjusting his glasses._

_"But, there's a high possibility that someone is pulling the strings behind this. It's not an issue you kids need to worry about-" Ichigo scowls, well familiar with that line- "except for that we won't know the exact enemy we're dealing with until we get in and get intel. And most of all-" she pins Ichigo with a firm stare- "We don't know if Kuchiki herself wants to be saved."_

_The kids look down. All of them had been present the night that Kuchiki had been taken away. All of them had heard Rukia willingly offering herself up to get her brother to leave them alone._

_It's Ichigo that breaks the silence. "Then she'll have to tell it to me straight herself, and make me believe her," he says firmly. The rest of them grin._

_"Sounds about right. If anyone gets separated, we reconvene at the Shihouin manor. I'll show you how to use the time of day and sun to figure out where to go. Now, about what to pack…"_

* * *

"Nee-sama!!" Yuushiro cries delightedly, taking a flying leap towards her. Yoruichi, still in cat form, dodges easily, climbing back up onto Chad's shoulder.

"Down, brat," she says, and she can't deny the faint relief that sweeps through her. Yuushiro really hasn't changed. She's glad. "You got Kukaku's message?"

"Yep!" The boy salutes cheerfully, bouncing on his toes. "Come in, come in, everything's been set up."

They enter the compound, marveling at the lush greenery, the scattered ponds, the traditional style houses. Yuushiro leads them to a house tucked away close to the secret entrance they entered through. It's small but serviceable, stocked with food and futons and whatnot.

"It feels like we're on a school trip or something," Ishida mutters as he settles down on the raised tatami flooring. Ichigo snorts, but he can't deny it. Certainly none of them had expected their invasion to be so… accommodating.

"Don't get comfy, brats," Yoruichi chuckles. "Or rather, do get comfy. Enjoy it while you can, cause the real fun starts soon."

* * *

There's another reason why they're staying at the Shihouin clan estate. According to Enju's recollections, Kyouraku Shunsui and Ukitake Juushiro used an object with a Shihouin clan seal on it in order to destroy the Soukyou, but Ukitake had been delayed due to having to remove the seal on it.

"It's all arranged?" Yoruichi asks, waiting in the cave behind the house they're staying in, back in humanoid form.

"Yep!" Yuushiro drops the Shihouin shield down with a heavy thud. "Seal unlocked and everything. Should be good to go."

"… You sure you should be giving it to me so easily? I'm a deserter that sided with a traitor."

"I trust your judgement, Nee-sama," Yuushiro replies. "You've never been wrong."

Yoruichi's heart softens a little. She ruffles Yuushiro's hair, who leans into her touch, ecstatic. The little gremlin hugs her tightly, lifting her off the ground. Yoruichi allows it, this time.

* * *

As the head of one of the four noble clans, Yuushiro is easily able to keep them informed on Central 46's decisions.

The order is execution. The kids are outraged at the injustice, and Yoruichi can't find it in herself to try to have them see both sides. Not when she knows that it isn't Central 46 but actually Aizen giving the orders; not even Central 46 would be so crazy to sentence a member of a high ranking noble clan with execution via the Soukyouku for anything less than high treason. But it's stuff they wouldn't officially "know" until Aizen deigns to reveal it.

They divert their frustration into training instead, though being careful to not use too much reiatsu. Ichigo has the hardest time, but it's also good practice, forcing him to constantly regulate his reiatsu.

"Why can't we go yet? Heck, why can't we go to find Enju-nee?" Ichigo nearly snarls. Yoruichi smacks him with a paw, claws retracted _this_ time.

"Rushing does us no good. Enju knows what she's doing. No ryoka have been captured or killed yet. If she hasn't shown up yet, it means she can't, and that means that something more is going on, or that she's making her own moves. We wait until we can't."

But Ichigo has a saving people thing, and also a sister complex a mile long, and so when Yoruichi senses him sneaking out that night, Ganju following behind, she heaves a sigh and goes to fetch the tenshintai. If fate is as robust as Enju theorizes, then she'll need it.

* * *

Ganju follows after his cousin, and isn't that a doozy, finding out that he has a cousin who's half human. Two cousins, in fact.

"Hey, idiot," he calls out, grinning when the brat flinches and jumps a foot in the air, hand going for the pommel of his sword. "Chill out, it's just me."

"Ganju? What are you- are you following me? Go back! Why are you even here?"

 _'Cause sis told me to look out for you and your sister but I'm not allowed to tell you that we're family yet._ The though is mildly upsetting. The Shiba clan is big on family; they'd left Seireitei because of the mistreatment of the reputation of one of their own. (Kaien's death carved a hole in all their hearts and the Shinigami had tried to brush it away because the killer had been another noble family-)

"'Cause someone's gotta look out for your stupid ass," he says instead, sneering. "I said I was gonna see for myself what this shinigami you want to save so badly is like, didn't I?"

Ichigo scowls. "Don't fall behind, then." Brat. But the kid (fuck, he really is just a kid, way over his head but with way too much of that Shiba heart to leave it all alone) relaxes a little bit, some of the stiffness in his shoulders fades away.

In the end, though, there's no escaping a bloodthirsty Zaraki who's set his sights on Ichigo, and so that fight still occurs, with Ichigo obtaining a deeper understanding of the significance of a zanpakuto and what it means to know their name.

(That is, if the old man in his mindscape had truly been Zangetsu, but that's an issue for another day.)

Ichigo collapses afterwards, because surviving doesn't always mean victory and victory doesn't always mean surviving, and Ganju curses under his breath as he drags his reckless, idiotic, self-sacrificing cousin into the alleyways as the shinigami start crawling out of the woodworks to investigate. Zaraki Kenpachi randomly picking a fight is nothing new even in the middle of a crisis situation. Zaraki Zenpachi _losing_ a fight is something much more alarming.

Ganju trips through the dark, hauling literal ass as fast as he can, grateful that Ichigo is unconscious because the guy's reiatsu is less of a waterfall and more of a tap running at full pressure when he's not conscious. In the dark and through his panic, he doesn't see the manhole cover being lifted up and a little scrawny boy poking his head out.

By the time he hears a panicked "Eek!" and notices, it's too late. He trips over the manhole cover, bangs his shin against the edge of the sewer, and falls straight down, knocking his head against the side of the pipe and crashing to the ground unconscious.

Yamada Hanataro gives another quieter "yeek!", hears the shinigami above ground approaching, glances down at the two bloody and bruised ryoka, and makes a split second decision. He slides the manhole cover back over the sewer entrance and scurries down the ladder, tamping down on his own meagre reiatsu.

Sitting down in front of the two strangers, he unzips his medical kit and begins treatment.

* * *

When Ichigo wakes up again, it's to the nostalgic feeling of someone asleep on his thigh, drooling on his pants. Yuzu and Karin used to do that all the time.

Except Yuzu and Karin are supposed to be safe at home and this is most certainly not his couch back at home.

He slowly recalls the events before he lost consciousness and sits up. There's a shinigami asleep on his lap, drooling. The worst of his injuries have been patched up and he's not suffering from more than a bit of exhaustion. Ganju's laid out on the ground beside him, some bandages around his head but otherwise looking fine.

He can put two and two together. "Hey, kid." He shakes the kid's shoulder.

The kid leaps up, nearly knocking into his chin. "Eek!" Ichigo raises his hands.

"Calm down, I'm not gonna hurt you. I have you to thank for helping me, right?"

The kid fidgets nervously, nodding. Curiosity gets the better of him. "… Why'd you do it? You know we're the invaders, yeah?"

"… Because," the kid says, taking a deep breath, "Abarai-fukutaichou and Kuchiki-taichou said that you guys came here to rescue Miss Rukia."

* * *

The Hanataro kid is a freaking _godsend_ , or he would be if Ichigo was the sort to believe in gods that actually gave two shits about mortals. He knows all the hidden passageways, the patrol shifts, the places to avoid because their assassination and espionage department (why a place that consists of only one land and one organization needs an _assassination and espionage department_ is a question that Ichigo firmly shelves aside to be contemplated later) tends to use those routes.

He's also, Ichigo can easily tell, overworked, underappreciated, and deserves a goddamn break and a raise, if the fact that the kid is willing to turn on the entirety of Soul Society because Rukia was _kind_ to him is any indication.

Kindness is hard. Cruelty is far easier, as half of it is just not caring. Kindness requires you to care, and to know what it is to be cruel and to choose to leave those parts out.

It makes him all sorts of mad, the good kind that drives him forward but also the bad kind that makes him stew and contemplate some days if trying so hard to help is really worth it when people keep on _getting away_ with horrible things.

(At the end of the day, the answer will always be charcoal-black hair and amber-orange eyes telling him to trust his own instincts.)

"The other Ryouka was Ichigo-san's sister?" Hanataro's forehead wrinkles in worry. "Oh no, that's…"

"What? What's the matter?" Ichigo resists grabbing Hanataro's shoulders and shaking the kid but it's a close thing.

"Oh! No, no, she's fine, she hasn't been caught. No one's been caught yet, that's why there's a high level alert and so many patrols. It's just… well, one of our captains was, um, murdered, just the other night."

"… And they think we did it," Ichigo says flatly. It's only logical, after all. The night after intruders crash land, a powerful and high ranking figure is murdered. Ichigo remembers Yoruichi's warnings of someone else pulling the strings behind the situation and clenches his fists. _Enju-nee, please be safe._

They stay in the underground tunnels for a while longer. "I think you should head back to the rest of your group," Hanataro suggests. "I-it's not like you can hide at the Senzaikyuu until your sister shows up because they know you're here for Miss Rukia so they increased the guards there, and I'm sure the rest of your group will be worried. Oh, I promise I won't tell anyone anything. But if you'd like, I'll go with you. You can tie me up and blindfold me or whatever, ahaha…"

"… Nah," Ichigo decides, following his gut. "I trust you. I won't tell you where, but yeah, I'll head back." Maybe getting his ass kicked finally knocked some sense back into him, because he's starting to see how stupid his midnight escapade is.

Hanataro leads them to an area close to where they'd entered the sewers, poking his head out to check for any patrols, then climbs out. Ichigo and Ganju follow behind, and it's only Ichigo's reflexes honed from playing the world's deadliest game of tag with Urahara that save the three of them from getting diced by a very pretty and very deadly cloud of cherry blossoms. Death by pink; Karin would never have let him live it down.

"I have always held the opinion that Unohana-taichou trained her recruits well," the Kuchiki asshole says in a voice as enthusiastic as a rotting fish. "I see I was mistaken." Hanataro trembles under the man's oppressive reiatsu, sweating, until Ichigo grabs the boy's hand firmly, glaring at the man.

Enju-nee's hollow reiatsu feels far more threatening when she releases it, but she keeps a careful lid on it. Ichigo's reiatsu has been described as akin to an ocean, but only choppy when he's upset. This man is doing this on purpose, trying to beat down Hanataro's spirit before he beats them down physically. The asshole.

 _Avoid combat,_ they'd been told. But Ichigo knows he can't run towards the Shihouin estate and expose them and Yuushiro, not after everything Yuushiro's risking to help them just because his sister asked. He himself might be able to lose Byakuya, but Ganju and Hanataro definitely can't, and Byakuya doesn't seem to in a taking prisoners kind of mood. He only has one option; beat Byakuya up by force.

He won't say he regrets the choice he made, because that implies that he'd have made a different choice if he could go back, but not three minutes later, one arm ripped up and lying on the ground bleeding from a thousand and one cuts, he had to admit he maybe shouldn't have called the guy a "motherfucking hypocrite with a stick so far up your ass you'd need surgery to remove it."

… So he still has some bad habits from his days of getting into scuffles with yakuza and gangs.

Thankfully, Yoruichi has managed to find him by then; his reiatsu wasn't exactly subtle when he fought.

Unfortunately, Enju has also found him, and the steely glare she pins him with even as she gently coaxes Hanataro into providing emergency first aid while Yoruichi holds Byakuya at bay tells him that he's going to be very, very sorry later.

* * *

Because fate is a funny, funny thing, in much the same way that a video of a fisherman being punched into a lake by a kangaroo is also funny if you are not the fisherman, Ukitake still manages to stumble across them.

"You're having a brawl right in my courtyard," the captain says with a fond smile to the younger captain. "I would have had to be deeply asleep to not notice."

Ever since eighteen years ago when the captain had suddenly recovered from the affliction plaguing him for nearly all his life, he's devoted himself into properly managing his division instead of leaving it to his squabbling lieutenants and overworked fourth seat, who had nearly cried with relief at having much of her babysitting duties terminated. Ukitake had felt quite bad about that. He stays more often in the division barracks now instead of at his home estate.

"It's been a while, Yoruichi-san."

"Ah. I'm glad to see you're feeling better, Ukitake."

Ukitake keeps his hand on Byakuya's wrist. The younger man's heavy sense of respect towards elders and towards Ukitake in particular doesn't let him snatch his wrist away, but the stormy look on his face tells Ukitake that his patience is running dangerously thin.

He can't blame the man. Yoruchi was never, is not, and will never by anywhere close to Byakuya's list of people he tolerates, let alone likes. For all that Byakuya wears his heart on his sleeve to those that know him well enough to read him, he hates when people don't respect his personal space, but Yoruichi has never cared about any one person's discomfort when it came between getting something she wanted.

The other adults had laughed and teased about the way Yoruichi made fun of Byakuya and run circles around him when he was a child, but Ukitake had seen the simmering frustration and resentment. Byakuya had given respect by the spades but received none back from the then Shihouin clan head. Combined with his sister's execution being announced, it's no surprise that Byakuya's temper has become increasingly short.

Ukitake sighs. "You know I can't just let you go, Yoruichi-san." Beside him, Byakuya relaxes slightly.

"You think you can catch me?" Yoruichi smirks.

"Maybe not you," Ukitake acquiesces. He turns his gaze to the Kurosaki siblings, trying not to think about how much they reassemble his former lieutenant.

"A little tip," Yoruichi says, smiling. "It's never good to underestimate a Kurosaki. Enju, you ready?"

"Yes," the girl says softly, giving Ukitake a peculiar look he can't quite place. Relief, he thinks, which is strange - why would the girl be relieved looking at an enemy? The girl turns to Hanataro, who nods and smiles shakily. "I'll be fine, Miss Enju. Good luck."

The girl gives him a wan smile, and then she vanishes in a flash of red light with her brother in her arms, at a speed that catches the two captains off guard. Yoruichi stays a moment longer, then vanishes as well. Byakuya's arm tenses, but he knows that he would only have had a chance if Yoruichi didn't have any head start, and they've done something to suppress their reiatsu, even the boy's.

Ukitake exhales and lets go of Byakuya's arm. "Will you let me handle the clean up?" he asks. "Go get some rest, it's late."

Byakuya gives him an affronted look. "For my sake," Ukitake continues, not above using emotional pleas if it'll get the boy to just _calm and go get some sleep already._ Byakuya's scowl fades; the boy's soft for all he tries to hide it, and he's always been equally fond and worried about Ukitake. Eighteen years with a clean bill of health and stronger than ever, but the boy still worries.

It only makes the whole situation even more tragic. _Oh Rukia,_ Ukitake thinks towards his subordinate that's only gotten to see Byakuya at his sternest and worst and none of him at his softest and kindest. _I'm so sorry you're caught up in the middle of this_.

Byakuya leaves without a word, which is pretty much him saying "have it your way." Ukitake turns to the 4th division member that was left behind, though willingly if his words to the ryoka girl were any indication.

"I'll have to call Unohana, you understand." The boy's face falters and he starts shivering, but he nods.

As expected, Retsu is stony silent when she is informed on what her seventh seat has done. She doesn't bother to lecture him; he knows fully well the weight and consequences of his actions. For all that her division tends to lean towards timid, none of them are fools, for timidness is something Retsu can tolerate but stupidity is not.

Hanataro is locked away temporarily, _safely_ , his pending trial and official punishment to be decided once the emergency protocols are lifted. It's as much for his protection as it is confinement.

(Later, they will regret placing him within hearing range of Zaraki and Zaraki within hearing range of him. For all that the 11th division and 4th division don't tend to get along, that has never applied to the 11th division captain, and Hanataro has been harrassed by the division so many times that the names and faces blur until he can't be bothered to remember any individuals, which makes it harder to hold grudges.

Hanataro hears the name Ichigo and that's more than enough for him to work up his courage to bargain with Zaraki. The 11th division captain is more than happy to bust Hanataro out when Ichigo's reiatsu flares, hot as a sun, in exchange for Hanataro showing him the fastest way to the Soukyouku. Because, yes, even with a giant cliff visible from anywhere within Seireitei as a landmark, Zaraki can and will still get lost.)

* * *

By some miracle, despite the alarm being sounded again partway through their mad dash through Seireitei, Enju and Yoruichi make it back to the Shihouin estate without bumping into anyone else. Yoruichi takes Ichigo's weight from Enju as soon as they are far away enough to afford the split second delay. The former onmitsukido captain senses an additional presence when they approach the house and gives Enju a sharp look. The girl shrugs unrepentantly.

Ichigo wisely keeps quiet and focuses on not losing consciousness along the way, though he still loses that fight soon after he's laid down on a futon to be given more complete treatment. He can feel Enju's reiatsu, distinctly familiar with a sharp edge like bitter dark chocolate due to her hollow reiatsu, and the relief takes away the last bit of fight left in him.

* * *

He wakes up several hours later to the sound of the screen door sliding open.

"Um, I brought breakfast," an unfamiliar voice says shyly.

"Thank you," Enju-nee replies. Something shuffles and clinks. Ichigo rubs his eyes and sits up slowly, noting that he's been mostly healed.

"Enju-nee?" he asks softly. His sister is sitting beside him. She turns, a frown on her face, but it falters when she sees his relieved expression. She sighs.

"I'll let it go this time," she says, and she's not usually such a softy but running around Seireitei while keeping Orihime safe had been tiring and stressful and she too had just wanted to see her brother again. She combs a hand through his ever messy hair and he leans into it.

"Sorry," he mumbles.

There's a soft giggle. He opens his eyes to see an unfamiliar girl wearing a shihakusho looking at him and his sister with a fond, sad look in her eyes.

"Uh…" He turns back to look at his sister. Has he forgotten someone in their group? He's bad with names and faces but surely he'd have noticed her by now. Reading his mind, Enju laughs softly.

"Ichigo, this is Hinamori Momo. For private reasons, she'll be staying with us for a little bit."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> :3c
> 
> Next chapter we'll rewind to see what Enju was up to.
> 
> Yuushiro is so cute. I wish he got more than like, 10 manga panels.
> 
> 07/28/2020 First post


	5. Fullbringer

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I thought this chapter would be the easy one but it turned out pretty hard to get out :/ Then again I don't like writing the middle of the action, I prefer the build-up and the unwinding. I hope it still turned out okay though.

_The Soul Society Arc (2/4)_

* * *

Despite being the size of a small town, Seireitei is _packed_. Streets are small and every bit of space available is used. This gives the impression of the city being far larger than it actually it, and much harder to navigate without a map or birds eye view.

Enju lurks dangerously close to the 5th division barracks, tampering down on her reiatsu as much as she possibly can, Orihime doing the same beside her. They've been hidden in this particular storage room in the far back, under some rearranged supply boxes, for hours and hours and they've long lost feeling in their legs, but on Enju's command, neither of them move. Orihime falls asleep a few times but she's a silent napper so it's fine.

Enju's nerves keep her wide awake. She would have liked to use Urahara's reiatsu-restraining devices to spare the mental effort of controlling her reiatsu, but she still needs to be able to sense reiatsu to detect if someone is coming, and she can't do that if she uses them.

Once it's past midnight, the two of them carefully creep out, dressed in spare 5th division shihakusho looted from a storehouse (very carefully, from the bottom of the pile, with all the boxes replaced exactly where they were, so that until someone takes actual stock no one will know that the shihakusho are missing).

Their progress becomes painfully slow, retreating many times at even the hint of someone else nearby, but finally they make it to their destination; the captain's quarters of the 5th division.

Orihime, bless her heart, follows along without complaint, faith in her eyes, despite not knowing a single thing as to what Enju is planning.

Enju carefully slides the doors open, extending her senses to detect any traps or whatnot. But even if Aizen finds out that she was here, he won't be able to take action easily, as he's already faked his death. She knows that, because Hinamori Momo lies sleeping in his room.

She doesn't think anyone would dare to intrude on a captain's quarters the way they are, but she still slips on a reiatsu restraining device and has Orihime monitor the exits. Then, she starts digging around.

She finds what she's looking for quite easily, which she supposes was the point of Aizen planting it. Stuffing the letter into her stolen shihakusho, she then takes a piece of paper from Aizen's desk and hastily scribbles another letter, folding it and leaving it in the same place that the first letter was in, grateful that Soul Society is so technologically behind that they don't have fingerprinting technology. Then she grabs Orihime and they slither out, scaling the walls down, leaping into the gardens and hiding in the bushes until they get the chance to run back to the warehouse they were hiding in.

The next morning, they hover right outside of the warehouse.

"Um, Enju-nee?" Orihime asks nervously. 

"Yes?" Enju peers around the corner of the warehouse to glance at the blank white wall, below which several shinigami are collectively losing their minds. She'd chosen this warehouse because of the view to that particular wall.

"What are they so upset about? Is there something on the wall?"

All they'd seen was one young girl skipping around the corner pause to glance at the wall, and then letting loose a scream fit to wake the dead. Orihime had wondered if the girl was okay, but then more shinigami had begun to show up, and they'd also looked shocked at the wall.

"… I suppose, to them, there would be," Enju murmurs. "Nevermind. Let's leave before we're caught." She swiftly turns and tugs Orihime along with her. Orihime glances back at the empty white wall once again, squinting. She still sees nothing.

They're dressed as shinigami still but this time they wear the 4th's ensigna, having also filched spare medic packs to complete the look. They keep to the alleyways, and always rush while looking busy when they have to go anywhere near people. The few times someone calls out to them, likely wanting free labor from the most bullied division in the Gotei 13, Enju yells "Apologies, errand for the captain!" and everyone leaves them alone because no one wants to make Unohana Retsu angry. Ingenious, really.

"Urahara came up with the idea," Enju says wryly once they get the chance to stop and rest. "But we have to be careful to not go anywhere near Unohana, the captain of the 4th, because she'll know instantly that we're not actually her squad members. I don't think she'd kill us on the spot, but she definitely wouldn't let us go, and we most certainly would not be able to escape from her."

Orihime nods to show that she understands. "What do we do now?"

'I'd like to take you to the Shihouin clan estate now," Enju says. "But I can't go back yet, because Yoruichi won't let me leave once I'm there, and I can't stop now." Her hand goes to the place where the letter sits. It's just a few slips of paper but it feels as heavy as lead.

"I'll stay with you, then," Orihime decides. Enju gives her a fleeting smile of gratitude.

"Do me a favor and don't mention this to Arisawa?"

Orihime laughs. "She'll find out somehow anyways. She always does." Enju laughs as well. 

They hide in a different place now, far in the corner of Seireitei, a place that takes them several hours of casual strolling and frantic dashing to reach. It's the 11th division warehouse. Enju figures that the 11th would have the least chance of being adept enough in sensing with their reiatsu, provided they're cautious around Ayasegawa Yumichika.

There, they wait.

* * *

Aizen-taichou is dead.

Aizen-taichou is _dead._ He's dead and he's never coming back. He was impaled, killed in the dead of night, his corpse left to rot against a pristine white wall in mockery.

He's dead and Momo is never, ever going to forgive Ichimaru Gin.

Momo sits in her cell, arms wrapped around her legs, her head bowed so that the passing guards won't see the fury blazing in her eyes. She just has to bide her time, and escape will be easy enough. Everyone here is soft on her. Their eyes say it all, full of pity.

Momo doesn't want pity. Momo wants Ichimaru's blood smeared across the same wall that he killed Aizen-taichou on.

Rangiku visits her sometime later, Mom's not sure how long it's been but the sky outside is dark now. "A letter for you," the older woman says softly. Momo accepts the letter with shaking hands.

Her fury increases even further upon reading the contents.

_Hinamori Momo_

_I have taken Aizen's letter. Meet me in the 11th division warehouse at midnight tonight if you wish to have it back. Bring no one else or I will destroy the letter._

When the guard comes again, she wastes no time in knocking him out with an overpowered bakudou, then blasts her cell open with kidou.

So caught up in her rage, she doesn't stop to wonder how the anonymous thief could have known that the letter would have ended up in her hands instead of being confiscated as evidence.

* * *

Enju is taking a _huge_ risk. She's betting on Rangiku's soft side that will smuggle the letter to Hinamori. If she loses this bet, she and Orihime will most likely be captured, and Yoruichi and the rest of them will have to bust them out of prison as well as Rukia.

She settles down in their hidden corner of the warehouse, in a corner next to the door.

* * *

Hinamori pushes the warehouse doors open and steps in, her reiatsu rumbling like thunder, one hand on Tobiume.

"I'm here," she grits out. "Come out."

Silence.

"I did as you said!" Her voice echoes in the warehouse. She feels tears of frustration welling. "Give it back! It was from Aizen-taichou, it was for me!" The tears fall, blurring her vision. She doesn't even see whatever knocks her out.

* * *

Orihime winces as Enju jabs the back of the girl's neck harshly, rendering her unconscious instantly. "E-Enju-nee…"

Enju lowers the girl gently to the ground, in a manner contrasting her earlier harsh actions. "This girl," she says softly, "is a target of a very cruel man. I'm hoping to spare her some pain."

"Oh," Orihime says softly, her heart twinging. _Oh, Enju._

But carrying someone, even a girl as little as this one, is very difficult for two average human girls, as is hiding the fact that they are carrying her. According to Enju, she's also rather high ranking, so a fuss will definitely be made if she is recognized, even if they claim to be ferrying her for treatment.

Nevertheless, what must be done, must be done. The two of them painstakingly carry the girl through back alleys in the dark, keeping a big distance between them and any other living reiatsu signature. Hinamori is wearing a reiatsu suppressing device, coded to Enju's fingerprint to unlock, so there's no risk of her reiatsu leaking and alerting anyone.

Of course, it's Ichigo that disrupts what would have been a working, if shoddily stitched together plan. His reiatsu explodes, followed by another's reiatsu which based on its turbulence, Enju guesses to be Zaraki Kenpachi's. She curses, but the large distraction proves useful in moving most shinigami towards the center of action. Deciding that speed is more important than stealth now, she activates Blut Arterie, hoists Hinamori over her shoulder, and she and Orihime _run._

"Orihime, Enju-nee," Chad murmurs quietly as soon as they enter the house. "Ichigo-"

"We know," Enju sighs. "Take care of her for me, Orihime?" She gestures to Hinamori. "The cuffs can't be taken off and they're also what will stop her from trying to run or attack you. At least with any kido. Take her sword, don't give it back until I'm back to explain. Understood?"

The three teens nod.

"Good." She sets out again.

* * *

Ukitake looks _healthy_. It's such a big relief. The Soul King kept his word.

* * *

"I'd ask what you were thinking, but I can already pretty much figure it out," Yoruichi sighs. "I'm in no position to criticize." She pats Enju on the shoulder. "And I'm proud you made the call, though I wish you'd dropped off Orihime first. Did you think I would make you not go?" Enju looks away guiltily. Chad and Orihime watch, stunned. It's not many that can cow Enju. Yoruichi sighs again. "We'll work on that. Good luck with the girl." Enju nods and opens the screen door to the room Hinamori has been dropped in.

* * *

The ryoka that walks in is polite enough, but it doesn't change the fact that Momo is currently bound, arms and legs, unable to do more than squirm like a worm.

"I'm very sorry for this treatment," the ryoka says, "but I needed to make sure you wouldn't run off and give us away." Momo glares, silent. The ryoka sighs and unties Momo's arms and legs, which shifts some of her anger into surprise. She moves into an upright sitting position.

"You might be able to get past me," the ryoka says when she sees Momo eyeing the exit, "but you won't be able to escape from the Flash Goddess." Momo frowns and opens her mouth to ask what the ryoka want from her when a letter is shoved into her hands. "Here. The letter I promised."

Momo sucks in a breath, opening the letter with shaking hands.

The contents destroy everything she's known about the two people closest to her.

Hitsugaya-kun, a traitor?

But before she can think any more about it, the ryoka grabs her wrists. She flinches and looks up into molten gold.

"I need you to take a very deep breath," the ryoka says firmly, "and really think about who is being accused, what you know of them, and what you know of who wrote the letter."

"Y-you read it?"

"Yes."

"But, but-"

"You won't find the right answer with what you currently know. You likely won't even find a satisfactory answer." The ryoka lets go of her wrists. "You want to know the truth, don't you?"

"I.. I do." If noting else, she wants to be certain who to point her sword at. She'd thought it was the ryoka, and then been sure it was Ichimaru, but now she can't be sure of anything.

"Remember," the ryoka continues, "that nearly anything can be faked. Even handwriting." The ryoka looks her in the eye, daring her to look away. "Consider what the writer, whoever they may be, hoped to achieve by having you read this and believe that it was who you think that wrote the letter."

It takes a couple moments for the words to make sense. Just like how the ryoka took the letter in Momo's hands and planted it with the letter telling Momo to go to the warehouse alone, it's also possible for anyone to have faked a letter and planted it in Aizen-taichou's room. Aizen-taichou's writing is particularly neat as well and would be much easier to forge than someone with messy or distinctive handwriting.

It makes _so much sense_. Aizen-taichou, asking _her_ to get _revenge_ for him? He would never do that. He would tell her to tell someone else, to distance herself, to take care of herself. He would never set her on her best friend knowing the pain it would cause her, no matter how heinous the crime. He always looked out for his subordinates.

Momo looks down at the letter, hands shaking. "I would have tried to attack Hitsugaya-kun," she whispers, a thread of horror creeping up her spine. It's driven away the next moment by a pair of arms pulling Momo into a gently hug. Hands run through her hair, patting her head gently. 

Momo leans into the hug. She's exhausted and tired, mentally and physically. Anger is _hard_ to maintain for her. She's never been prone to anger.

Oh gods, she attacked Kira today, too. Yesterday? Her sense of time is all mixed up.

"It isn't your fault," the ryoka says gently. "The fault belongs to the one who killed your Aizen-taichou, and who is behind all of this."

Momo gently pushes away to look up at the ryoka. "The one who's behind all of what?" she asks.

The ryoka gives her a measured look. She must find whatever she's looking for, as she continues. "Do you think Kuchiki Rukia's crime really deserves execution? And isn't it odd how the days keep being moved forward?"

Momo frowns. "No. Aizen-taichou was saying that too. That the whole thing was weird." She warps her arms around herself. "Then he went out at night, a-and he, he got-" she chokes out a sob. "Who's doing all of this?!" she wails.

"That," the ryoka says softly, "is what we hope to find out."

Momo takes a few moments to let her sobs subside and looks up again through her tears. "Why did you help me?" she asks quietly.

"We are here only to save Kuchiki Rukia," the ryoka says. "We are not here to harm Seireitei, or to disrupt the balance between the worlds. We are just here to save our friend. I swear to you that none of us killed your captain. But it turns out that bigger things than we thought are going on, and the enemy that killed your Aizen-taichou is also aiming for Rukia's death."

Momo considers that, rubbing her eyes and taking a few deep breaths. "Okay."

"Pardon?"

"I'll help. I- I won't run away. I want to see for myself what's going on." Even if that means siding with the ryoka. _Sorry, Hitsugaya-kun. But I promise I'll be back._

With a new goal in sight to ground her, she doesn't notice that the ryoka technically never answered her question, nor does she notice the ryoka's guilty look in her eyes.

* * *

_They took Hinamori._ Hitsugaya looks at the Hinamori-less warehouse where Hinamori's faint reiatsu trail ends. (The fact that there had been a reiatsu trail at all speaks of her mental condition.)

First Aizen, and now Hinamori.

He's going to kill the ryoka.

* * *

From the shadows, Ichimaru watches with a smile.

* * *

"They're moving the date up again," Yuushiro announces grimly. "And Central 46 is in lockdown now. Which means…"

That they have been murdered already.

Thanks to Yoruichi tipping Yuushiro off on the possibility, the Shihouin clan elder that is among the Central 46 had conveniently come down with a very nasty summer cold, bedridden, unsure if they'll make it past the week, of course they can't even sit up to talk and there's definitely no visits allowed aside from immediate family.

"Right," Yoruichi sighs. "Ichigo."

"Yeah." Ichigo hugs his sister tightly, who hugs him back just as tightly, then hugs his other friends. He pats Hinamori's shoulder gently, who gives the ryoka a sweet smile, already fitting in with the group.

"See you soon," Orihime says firmly.

"Yeah." Ichigo and Yoruichi leave for Urahara's secret training area, the Tenshintai in hand.

* * *

"Are you sure he needs it, Enju-nee?"

"Yes. Without bankai, he won't be taken seriously, let alone survive. But he'll try anyways, because that's who he is. He might die in the training, but he'll definitely die without it."

* * *

With Yoruichi gone, one more task falls to Enju's hands.

"Are- are you really sure this is safe?" Ishida asks nervously.

"It will be fine," Enju replies, adjusting the veil with the Shihouin crest over her face, but it's not a direct answer to his question and they all know it. Nevertheless, all of them are slowly getting used to the concept of dangerous tasks that must be done anyways for everyone's sake.

"Not to worry," Yuushiro chirps. "Worst comes to worst, Nee-sama will definitely save her. Nee-sama has her ways."

"That's true," Chad murmurs.

"I feel like I really shouldn't be this excited at the prospect of seeing a millennia old treasure getting destroyed," Hinamori murmurs.

"Does Seireitei have a lot of old treasures?" Orihime asks with wide, innocent eyes.

"Pass," Hinamori laughs. "Good try, though."

* * *

"Erm, Ukitake-taichou? There's a member of the Shihouin family here. They say that they have a delivery for you?"

Ukitake blinks through a sip of his tea.

"Shihouin?" He glances at Kyouraku, lounging on the tatami beside him.

"Not my doing," Kyouraku says. He remains lying down but his eyes are sharp. "Let them in?"

The messenger glances hesitantly at Ukitake who nods wryly. "Stop giving orders to my division for me."

"Get a lieutenant already," his old friend quips back.

The screen door opens again and the messenger returns with the apparent Shihouin clan member. Their face is covered similarly to how the Kido corps dress, and they hold quite the large bundle behind them with ease despite not emitting any noticeable reiatsu. The messenger bows and leaves; there's two captains here after all. No need for any other guards.

"I don't recall asking the Shihouin clan for anything," Ukitake prompts when the mysterious person does not speak for several seconds. They jolt slightly, then turn to their wrapped package.

"It's a loaned gift from Shihouin-dono," they say softly, and Ukitake tenses. He's heard that voice before. Only once, only a single word, but he has a very good memory. Beside him, Kyouraku tenses as well in response to his reaction, one hand shifting closer to his zanpakuto.

Kurosaki Enju pulls the cord off and lets the cloth wrapping fall to the ground to reveal the Shihouin shield. "They hope," she says softly, pulling up her veil to reveal her own face, "that this will help Ukitake-dono and Kyouraku-dono in their future endeavors."

Kyouraku remains tense for a moment, then laughs. "Yoruichi's really back, then."

Ukitake sighs and takes another sip of tea. Suddenly paperwork seems so much more attractive than facing this reality. "We could never get one over her back in the day. She's returned to her clan? I'm not surprised that Yuushiro accepted her back, but I'm surprised that we haven't heard more of a fuss from the rest of the clan."

"Elder Takaomi is in very bad condition," Enju demures. "The rest of the clan is so very busy at the moment."

The two captains read the lines between and understand it to mean that the rest of the clan does not actually know that Yuushiro is hiding Yoruichi and her group.

"So why did you personally make this delivery?" Kyouraku asks, tone light but words heavy. _How do we know you're not Aizen's killer?_

"Everyone else available was occupied," Enju replies, her voice calm even as her body remains tense, poised and ready to bolt. She knows they won't just let her leave, but this is something she has to do anyways, not knowing how Ukitake had gotten the shield in the original story and needed to make sure that it arrived in his possession.

Kyouraku sighs. "How troublesome-"

Before he can even finish his words, Enju is darting away, using the brief lull in consciousness that occurs when breathing to make her escape. Kyouraku is there to cut her off, but instead of dodging she snaps something wound around her wrist. Her reiatsu flares, hollow-tainted and all. About half a dozen alarms go off, and she throws one hand up to Kyouraku's face. Wisely, the man ducks to avoid whatever she was going to try, and Enju grabs the half-second her ploy has bought her, along with her reiatsu that is no longer sealed, and flashes out of the compound with several chained Bringer Lights, short but erratic in direction.

She then makes like a rocket and flashes high into the sky to avoid getting a faceful of very sharp, very pink petals, and curses inside her mind.

"You dare to attack yet another captain," Kuchiki Byakuya says, his eyes just as cold and sharp as his voice. "Was Aizen not enough for you lot?"

"I'm surprised you think so poorly of them," Enju replies, voice as sweet as honey. "They _are_ captains, after all. I wouldn't stand a chance even if I got serious."

"I had assumed you were wise enough to understand just how outclassed you are. I see now that once again I was wrong. I will crush your arrogance entirely, and the Shihouin clan will follow suite."

Right, she's still wearing the uniform of the Shihouin.

Enju looks at this man, full of pride and so-called honour and duty, so set in his beliefs that he refuses to even look at his little sister. She wonders what barb to use to pierce his armor.

"… Rukia loves you very much, you know."

Byakuya inhales sharply. Bingo. She's got him. Below, the shinigami are gathered, but seeing Byakuya with his zanpakuto in shikai, they wisely stay away. A single misstep when fighting alongside Byakuya without the reflexes to dodge will result in meeting Senbonzakura face-first. Enju takes another breath and prepares to lie for all she's worth.

"She told us so much about her life." Enju smiles. "It was _so_ easy. She was so, so very lonely, and here were a bunch of ordinary humans with ordinary lives that accepted her for who she was, without demanding that she measure up to unreasonable standards, who listened to her and how she felt and told her that her concerns and her fears were valid."

She tilts her head and places her index finger on her chin. "She never said a single bad thing about you. But she also never talked about you on a personal level. It was always your accomplishments, your prestige, her gratitude at you taking her in. No mention of time spent together. It made me wonder a lot of things."

Byakuya is clenching his zanpakuto hilt tightly enough that his knuckles are white. She needs more, though. She needs to knock him off balance enough that she'll actually be able to run away from him.

"Most of all," she says softly, raising her eyes to meet his, "it makes me wonder; do you hate her for not being Hisana?"

His eyes flash, and she knows she's got him. She _runs_ for all she's worth, preparing to dodge the petals as she goes, to take a hit or two if she must-

" _Bankai. Senbonzakura Kageyoshi."_

 _Oh,_ she thinks dimly in the few moments she gets, _guess I overdid it._

A veritable wave of blades crashes into her, shredding skin and hair and clothes like a hot knife on butter, sending her crashing into the ground with a pained scream. In the corner of her eye, she catches sight of Ukitake and Kyouraku watching, Kyouraku holding Ukitake back. Good. That's good. Byakuya has not seen the Shihouin shield yet. She shakes her head at them as she continues to fall. _Do not save me._

It's fine if she fails to get away here. As long as Ukitake and Kyouraku get the shield and no one else is any wiser, they will succeed. She's fairly certain that angry as he is, Byakuya won't kill her. The same honour that will let him look away as Rukia is executed will demand that he turn her in alive to be tried and sentenced if at all possible. To kill her would mean admitting to himself that he had been unable to subdue her.

Blut Vene flares to life as she crashes into the ground, cracking the pavement underneath her. She breathes heavily as she lays on the ground, her wounds burning painfully. Her hair flutters around her, much of it shredded by his attack. She coughs blood and laughs with a pained, raspy voice as Byakuya lands in front of her.

"Do I unsettle you that much?" she asks with another bloody cough. She lifts herself off the ground slowly, getting back up to her feet. Blood pools on the ground below her.

"Your words mean nothing to me, arrogant ryoka." But he has not yet sealed his zanpakuto. She smiles.

"At least you avoided my face." She reaches up to wipe the blood from her lips. "You know how to treat a girl, even if you know absolutely nothing about being an older sibling."

A bladed petal slices past her arm, but with Blut Vene active, it now glances off her skin harmlessly. Byakuya frowns.

He could go for her eyes, she knows, but once again, Byakuya is bound by the chains of his honor. He won't resort to such a thing - not now, not before he finally allows himself to love Rukia as a sister and becomes the older brother that will do anything to protect her - when he can simply wait for her to faint from blood loss.

She continues. She's not escaping, she knows that now, it's taking all she's got left just to stay upright and conscious but she will not let this man talk down to her. If she's going to be caught anyways, she'll at least say what she's always wanted to say.

"Ichigo is my little brother, I'm sure you've noticed that we're related. Our mother died young and our father was useless for a while, so I raised him. He's my little brother and I'm his big sister. I'm there for him no matter what, because that's what it means to be the older sibling." She coughs, more blood coming up. "Rukia grew up an orphan, and finally got a family. But she's so miserable. You failed completely. If you weren't going to be her older brother in anything but name, you should have left her alone-"

The petals crash into her again, and though they can't cut anything but her hair, their force is enough to knock her over. She falls back down, gasping as a thousand cuts are jolted.

"A rabid dog should be quiet and allow itself to be put down," Byakuya says, tone flat. "Do not presume to think I cannot feel that corrupt reiatsu."

Enju lets out a wet laugh even as she coughs up more blood. She manages to push past the pain to rasp, "And yet, this rabid, corrupt dog is better at being family to your own sister than you are," she sneers. "Did it hurt, when she called me Nee-san? But that would be your own fault, not mine. Does she even know anything about Hisana aside from her name?"

"You speak of taking care of family," Byakuya deflects, "yet you bring yours here to their deaths. Your arrogance has brought them nothing but pain and death."

"I don't presume to command their will. They would have come with or without me." Enju braces herself on her arms again, ignoring the screaming muscles as she slowly stands up, slipping once on her own blood. "My choices were to abandon them or to help them. The choice was obvious."

"Yet you disregard Rukia's own will in this. She has accepted her punishment. Your actions bring shame to her resolve."

Enju starts laughing so hysterically that she nearly falls over again. Byakuya's reiatsu flickers in agitation and slight alarm.

"You, you arrogant, cruel, cowardly _piece of shit_ excuse for a soul, Rukia doesn't _want_ the execution because she thinks it's the right thing. She wants it because _she thinks that you'd prefer her dead_. Because for some _goddamn_ reason, she still cares about what you think even though you don't know anything about her past her _name_!"

When she raises her eyes to meet his, they're blazing suns, and she knows it, can feel it.

"I'm many things. I'm a coward, a liar, a thief. But I will never, ever wish for the death of my family. They are my pride and joy, my reason for living. They are the reason that I am _me._ And you know what? Rukia is important to Ichigo, so she's my family now too."

She feels it in her heart, in her soul, realizes all at once that this is it. This is the thing closest to her, that has been with her through thick and thin, though nightmares and joys and countless precious memories.

"My bond with my family is the greatest treasure I hold, and I won't let Rukia die for the worthless honour of a fake brother that won't even _look_ at her."

And then on her, around her, on the ground below her, her blood bursts into flames.

* * *

Ukitake watches with equal parts awe and despair as Kurosaki Enju catches fire but does not burn. The blood on her body seems to spread like a second skin, covering her arms and chest and flowing down like an ethereal dress of crimson flames. The black streaks previously visible on her limbs after Byakuya had shredded her clothes now glow a bright red that merge into a darker crimson that stains her hands up to her elbows, red wisps floating from her skin. Her hair, though much shorter now, flares around her, turning a bright red from the roots that becomes white at the tips. It reassembles a blazing halo. At her feet, the ground begins to melt.

Kurosaki Enju is a fullbringer, just like Kugo Ginjo.

* * *

Though the air around her is shimmering from the sheer heat she's putting out, Enju doesn't feel hot one bit. The clothing made of flame feels cold to the touch, and she feels nothing from the flames on her hair at all.

She glances at Byakuya, who is finally looking somewhat apprehensive, and smiles.

Byakuya's hand twitches and the full force of Senbonzakura Kageyoshi crashes down on her-

-but the petals catch fire and stop moving, wrestled from his control. They burn to cinders before they can come close enough to touch. Wisely, Byakuya parts the rest of his petals instantly before they too catch on fire. He reverts to shikai immediately, the hilt appearing back into his hand.

Wise.

After all, damage done to a zanpakuto during bankai can never be repaired, short of making a trip to O-Etsu of the Zero squad. Byakuya will never get back those petals that burned up.

She can tell he knows he's in a bad position now. It isn't that she's actually stronger than him; it's just that his greatest weapon, his zanpakuto, is so utterly incompatible with her flames. Her flames take control of anything they latch onto, that is, if it doesn't burn up instantly. Senbonzakura's petals need to touch her to deal damage, which means that the moment they do make contact she will gain control over the petals.

But she doesn't have much of an advantage more than that, having just awoken her Fullbring focus without the time to experiment and discover its limits, and he is far more experienced in combat with more than just Senbonzakura up his sleeve.

She has to end this quickly. She can tell - her fullbring is her very blood, the representation of her bond connecting her to Ichigo, mixed with her burning desire to protect him that transformed it into flames, but that also means that she has a very limited amount to work with and that this fullbring could very well kill her if used carelessly. If only Fullbrings also had sentient consciousnesses that could tell her what powers she's just gotten access to.

Well, nothing else has ever been easy for her, so it's no surprise that even her Fullbring, the very representation of her soul, is also going to be a hassle.

So, fire. Fire and a dress, all made from her blood. The dress feels quite similar to Blut Vene given physical form externally, but in this form she doesn't need to focus to keep it up and active, which is very nice.

More importantly, it leaves her free to use Blut Arterie _at the same time._

She gets an idea. It's somewhat of a stupid idea, but all of her options are looking pretty bad right now, and maybe taking a page out of Ichigo's book and being reckless for once will give her the element of surprise she needs.

She rockets forward with Bringer Light combined with Blut Arterie to boost her speed, bringing a hand up and focusing on drawing more heat into her palm. As expected, the flames gather there. She reached out towards Byakuya, whose eyes widen at her sudden increased speed. He dodges, but her fingers brush the edge of his haori, which, made of fine silk, catches fire instantly. He sheds the burning robe immediately and glares at her, and she gives a cheeky smile in return.

This is _fun._ They're on far more even ground now, and just a little bit, she can understand the Ichigo from the story she remembers and how, despite himself, he greatly enjoyed a good fight.

Byakuya sends a wave of petals at her, which she bats away with ease, grimacing when more of her hair is cut. She lunges for him again and he reforms his sword to block her blow this time. She catches the blade in her palms, her skin protected by the dress of flames, and curls the rest of her exposed hand around it. The blade begins to _melt_.

He releases his sword once more with a harsh _"scatter"_ , petals falling away from her grasp, and shunpos above her. She gives chase, letting out a laugh-

-but before she can catch up to his admittedly impressive speed, her vision blurs. The flames around her go out, and suddenly she's falling, with no strength left to even call up Blut Vene-

* * *

"Hide the shield," Kyouraku murmurs to Ukitake as he jumps past his friend to catch the falling girl. Byakuya still hovers a safe distance away and he can't blame the boy; it's always unsettling going up against an enemy that's your perfect counter. 

He gives a dopey grin to the boy when he sees the cautious glare. "Maa, maa, don't look at me like that, Taichou-" hopefully the reminder that he acknowledges the boy as a fellow captain will mollify him a bit- "I wasn't about to let a pretty girl fall like that, she'd definitely have hurt herself. And I'm not gonna run away with her, Nanao-chan would kill me." He lands on the ground and beckons Byakuya to come down as well. "Are _you_ okay?"

"I am uninjured," Byakuya replies stiffly. "You are aware she must be arrested."

"Yeah, I know. But we won't get any answers if she hits her head on the ground and dies." The tense line of Byakuya's shoulders relax a notch at the confirmation that Kyouraku isn't about to be a bigger thorn in his side. He supposes he can understand the boy's concern; Kyouraku has always just barely skirted on the proper side of the rules and Ukitake is a bleeding heart for his subordinates, and it doesn't help that two of the ryoka look as though they could be Kaien's niece and nephew.

(Later on when their heritage is confirmed he will laugh and bring Ukitake some sake.)

"I'll bring her to the 4th division. Stay with Ukitake?" Byakuya shoots him a look. It's a bribe and he knows it but he nods anyways. Fussing over Ukitake will help the boy and will also calm Ukitake down.

* * *

"Well," Yuushiro says, voice dry. "Do you want the good news first or the bad news?"

"The good news," Orihime says right away. The good news will help them to keep hope up once they are faced with the bad news. She knows from experience.

"Enju-chan is alive and well, and being kept at the fourth due to severe blood loss and reiatsu exhaustion, so there's a very low risk that someone will try to snatch her away before all of this is over. No one touches Unohana's patients before they're recovered, not even Central 46, and Yamamoto-soutaichou won't fight her on that. I'm pretty sure Unohana is keeping her in an induced coma for that reason. A lot of the higher ups aren't feeling too keen about this whole situation."

The teens exhale in unison. Waiting for news after feeling Enju's distinctive reiatsu explode and then vanish shortly after had been terrible.

"She was wearing Shihouin marked clothes when she was caught," Yuushiro continues, "but we already had plans in place in case of that. The elders are definitely suspicious now since Nee-sama was already confirmed to be back, but I only need to buy a little more time. The real bad news, though, is that Central 46 is using this to push Rukia's execution up even further. It's in two days now. Nee-sama won't be coming back; we'll have to move out as planned without her."

The teens nod their understanding. They'd been prepared for this too.

* * *

Two days pass and the morning of the execution arrives with a clear, sunny sky mocking the travesty that the Gotei 13 is allowing with averted eyes.

Rukia is not approached by Ichimaru Gin, who, on Aizen's orders, is keeping a close eye on movement in the city in an attempt to figure out the former Shihouin clan head's plans. He also sneaks into the room of the sleeping ryoka in the 4th to collect a little sample of reiatsu. The girl has piqued Aizen's interest, poor thing.

Rukia is led to the Soukyouku, where she requests the pardon of the ryoka that have come to rescue her.

The Soukyou is unsealed, becoming Kiko-ou, the will of a thousand zanpakuto, executioner of Soul Society.

In separate places in Seireitei, explosions rocket the city.

* * *

Enju wakes up with a dull throbbing headache. She blinks wearily and lifts a hand up to rub her eyes as she slowly remembers the events occurring right before passing out. She's surprised she isn't in a jail cell of some sort or chained down, and her reiatsu isn't even restrained, weak as it is. Well, all the better for her.

She sits up slowly and looks around. She seems to be in some hospital - 4th division, maybe? How many days have passed?

Then she sees Ichigo sitting on a chair against the wall, arms crossed, asleep.

Her brother, a fellow ryoka, sitting casually in broad view of anyone coming in, not hiding away, not training. With reiatsu that's clearly stronger than she remembers from- however long ago it has been since he left with Yoruichi. A thread of disbelief runs through her.

"Ichigo." Her voice is hoarse and cracked from lack of use but Ichigo hears her and wakes up instantly anyways.

"Nee-san!" He's at her side in an instant, hovering over her, not daring to touch but clearly wanting to. Enju gives him a weary smile and lifts her arms up and he falls into a hug, burying his face in her shoulder. "Don't you _ever_ pull something like that again," he whispers.

"I will try my best," Enju promises, stroking his hair comfortingly. "Did you wait long?"

"Just two days," Ichigo replies, confirming her hypothesis.

"Good to see you up," Yoruchi drawls, popping in out of nowhere in cat form to curl up on her lap. Ichigo grunts, annoyed, but backs up to sit back down on the chair he'd been occupying.

Enju considers resisting.

She's still tired. She's worked hard. She deserves this.

She leans over to bury her face in Yoruichi's side. Perhaps the most important part of their plans, marking a turning point, a moment that would determine the direction of their future, a decade of planning gone into it, and- "I _slept_ through it all?!?!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fight scenes are hard. Dialogue is also hard.
> 
> Writing is hard.
> 
> Don't worry you'll see what actually went down, though briefly, next chapter when Enju is filled in. I estimate another 2 chapters for this arc.
> 
> The whole time Enju talks to Momo, she's very careful to say "*your* Aizen-taichou" to distinguish between the fake Aizen that Momo knew and the real Aizen who is the culprit. It's very amusing to me how Enju is very peculiar about trying not to say any direct lies, but as a result she says a /lot/ of lies by omission or purposeful redirection.
> 
> Enju used a reiatsu suppressing bracelet when visiting Ukitake and Kyouraku because her hollow reiatsu would have given her away instantly otherwise. She broke it in her attempt to get away.
> 
> Just to clarify some power scaling, Enju might seem like she came close to beating Byakuya and just lost because she'd already been weakened, but even if she hadn't been she likely wouldn't have won. The element of her abilities being unknown and her having pushed Byakuya off-balance mentally was what let her get as close as she did in this chapter and he won't fall for it again. He also wasn't attacking her with the intent to kill her or she most definitely would have died.
> 
> 08/02/2020: Changed Central 64 to Central 46. I have spent /years/ thinking it was Central 64 OTL shout out to GhostSquid (booksandbrownies) for correcting me I've gone back through all the previous chapters and changed those too


	6. Blooming Witch Hazel

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Major kudos to people that write entire novels out of fanfics, this planning stuff is hard. I just kinda write on the spot while heading in the direction of bigger plot points I know I want to write.
> 
> Also, I'm putting a limit on Orihime's hax powers, in that she cannot reject death. If a soul is gone, she can fix up the corpse but the soul won't come back. Rip Menoly.

_The Soul Society Arc (3/4)_

* * *

Byakuya stares at the blank sheet of parchment before him and sighs. It's unbecoming of his position as the Kuchiki clan head, but he can't help it. It's been a very, very, very long day. He sets down his calligraphy brush, giving up for the night. Doing anything in his current state of mind would just be a waste of paper and ink.

He goes to meditate instead. Meditating alongside his steadfast sword spirit always helps to calm him down. Unlike him, Senbonzakura is logical and unwavering.

But when he enters his inner world Senbonzakura is unsettled. "What is it?" He doesn't think that their fight with the ryoka would have disturbed his zanpakuto so much, though it is a fact that Senbonzakura is largely useless against her.

"The ryoka," Senbonzakura murmurs. "What she said, about Lady Rukia not being Lady Hisana."

Byakuya scowls. "Baseless accusations of a mere ryoka are nothing to be concerned over-"

"Her words implied that she is aware of Lady Rukia's relation to Lady Hisana," Senbonzakura interrupts uncharacteristically. "How would she know that?" 

Byakuya stills. _That's right_ , he realizes. It had seemed obvious that the ryoka would know that, because everyone in Seireitei close to him had known about Hisana and her search for a missing sister at the cost of her health, but Rukia herself had never been informed so it is impossible for the ryoka to have heard it from her.

"Shihouin, perhaps?" he hedges, but he has a feeling that isn't the answer. He had married Hisana decades after Shihouin had left Soul Society.

The more he thinks about it, the more the ryoka's words unsettle him. Rukia is young, with the immaturity that comes with youth, but she has an excellent and clever mind that allowed her to survive Inuzuri. It is very unlikely that she would have told the ryoka about her life in Soul Society, especially if she wanted to protect them.

So how had the ryoka known? She might have been bluffing, but it was a touch too accurate to be just a bluff, and in the moment, Byakuya sensed that she was speaking from confidence that her words were true.

Perhaps they're overthinking it. He's aware that he tends to lose rationality when Hisana is brought up. The ryoka had never directly said that Rukia was Hisana's sister. The ryoka had just asked him if he hated Rukia for not being Hisana.

The ryoka will have to wake up eventually; Unohana-taichou will make sure of that. He'll wait until then and confront the ryoka directly.

* * *

The day before the execution, there's a buzz of nervousness throughout Seireitei. The Soukyouku hasn't been used in _forever._ Everyone knows something is strange, but no one dares to voice any opinion of it. Second division is always watching and listening and people who are a bit too vocal in their criticisms of the Gotei 13 or Central 46 have a tendency to vanish.

Busy with administrative duties and not having had the chance to run into Ichigo, Renji does not sneak off to learn bankai alongside the ryoka, but his mind is running at top gear.

He's not the most clever or strategy-oriented and he knows he has a tendency to jump before looking (because back in Inuzuri if you wasted time looking you would be killed by the vendor chasing you), but he's not _stupid_. He survived Inuzuri, which he's quite sure could not be said for half the people in Seireitei if you reduced their reiatsu to the levels he had back then and dumped them there.

It means that, when push comes to shove, he's brutally survival oriented. He has his honor and his loyalty, yes, but those are not more important than the lives of loved ones and friends.

So it's driving him nuts that Kuchiki-taichou has done nothing to stop Rukia's execution.

He knows something is wrong with the whole thing. Heck, _everyone_ with functional eyes and ears knows! But the Soutaichou does nothing, so no one dares to object.

He wants desperately to talk to someone like Ukitake-taichou or Kyouraku-taichou, who are old guard and wise beyond what their respectively gentle and lazy personas indicate. Surely they can see that something is wrong. Perhaps they could talk the Soutaichou into doing something?

But he's waved away instead, recommended to take a break maybe, have some tea and sweets. They understand that Rukia was his childhood friend and he must be upset, but it won't do to be rash. He grits his teeth and thanks them for their time.

He briefly considers talking to his captain, but dismisses the thought a moment later. It's no use. The captain has averted his eyes and accepted Rukia's fate. Approves of it, even. An honorable end for a traitor, to be executed by the Soukyouku, her very soul burned away so that it cannot even reincarnate.

It's a load of bullshit is what Renji thinks. Maybe it's because Kuchiki-taichou has so many other things, like his clan's legacy and his division, that the value of Rukia's life is low enough to not be worth facing Central 46 for. Renji had had nothing, so Rukia had quickly become one of the most important, irreplaceable things in his life, even more so after their other friends had died. He admires his captain, honest, but ever since Rukia's execution had been announced he's been feeling more and more let down.

Well, it's a good thing that Inuzuri taught him to rely on himself if he wanted to make sure something got done.

But he knows that by far the biggest obstacle in any rescue attempt will be Rukia herself. She is stubborn beyond anyone he knows and makes no attempt to bargain or plead for her life, accepting the crimes they have charged her with. She grows upset at any mention of the ryoka, clearly worried and wishing that they would just leave while they still can.

It's too late for all of them, though. Their actions clearly indicate that they have a plan. All Renji can hope is that the inevitable clash will give him enough of a chance to snatch Rukia and run. To where, he has no idea. But he's never been good at planning, and his instincts have never failed him.

* * *

"Are you all set?" Ukitake asks softly.

"Yeah. Nanao knows that we're up to something, though," Kyouraku chuckles. "I've been too lax. She's learned how to read me too well."

"But she won't stop us?"

"Nah. She's a stickler for the rules and this is clearly against them. And she likes Rukia too."

"You'll have to apologize to her later, if we survive."

"Mah, we'll be fine. We've got the Flash Goddess on our side. What about your third seats?"

"…"

"Huh. Weren't you gonna tell them?"

"I assumed I would need their help unsealing and transporting the shield then." Ukitake's voice is faintly regretful.

"Mmm. That won't stop them from being targeted when we start, though."

"But it may save them from the executioner's block."

"It won't come to that if we do things right." Kyouraku places a hand on his old friend's shoulder. "You should have Nanao be your lieutenant for a few weeks. She could teach you a lot."

"… Yes, you're right. Maybe after this is all over."

"Hahaha! I'll let her know, then."

"She'll be furious at you."

"She will, and she won't be mad at you at all! It's unfair."

"Haha." Ukitake sighs and takes a sip of his tea. "I feel a little bad at sending Abarai away. He's definitely going to do something reckless." No doubt the lieutenant also thinks worse of them now as well, and rightfully so.

"He'll be fine. He's a survivor."

"… That's true."

* * *

Finally, the morning of the execution arrives. The thrum of nervous anticipation fills Seireitei, even though only captains and lieutenants will be attending the actual execution. A thread of tension runs through the city.

Through the distraction, a group of one and a group of three leave a warehouse under the cover of reishi concealing cloaks and go separate ways.

* * *

"Ready, kid?" Yoruichi throws the reishi concealing cloak at the kid.

"Yeah." Ichigo slips the cloak on and fastens Zangetsu to his back securely.

Time to save Rukia.

* * *

Ishida gingerly passes the last of four bombs (bombs, he's holding _bombs,_ if he dies from this Jii-chan will most definitely whoop his ass, and Mother will likely manifest in the real world to whoop _Ryuuken's_ ass) to Inoue. It's deceptively small, but Yoruichi had pressed upon them their destructive potential and the importance of not mishandling them.

He's relieved that he's been partnered with Inoue, who has nerves of steel and steady hands. She gently peels off the safety seal and sticks the marble-sized weapon of mass destruction against the large double doors. The currently locked and sealed doors to the highest level of government in Seireitei.

Ishida briefly wonders if this counts as terrorism, then firmly squashes the thought to be considered later when they are not in the middle of enemy territory. It's the _shinigami_ government, he should be enjoying this instead of being a bundle of nerves and anxiety.

Hinamori lights the marbles on fire with a wordless application of a kido spell dialed down. They absorb the flames and begin to glow. They have Yoruichi's reassurance that no one inside will be hurt by this, which helps ease their conscience.

The three of them distance themselves, Inoue and Ishida slipping on reiatsu concealing cloaks. Hinamori is good enough at suppressing her reiatsu on her own to not need one. They sit down out of view of the entrance and wait.

* * *

Rukia takes a deep breath as she begins to raise up to the to of the execution scaffold. She would be lying if she said she wasn't scared; her heart is beating a mile a minute. But she's at peace. She knows that the Soutaichou does not intend to keep his word and let Ichigo and his friends go free; she's of Inuzuri at heart, she can spot a lie so blatant. But his kindness in saying that he would means a lot to her.

It's fine, because Enju will make sure they get out alive after she dies, and Urahara, who she now realizes must be at least partially behind all of this (perhaps not her execution directly, but her slow to recover powers, her faulty gigai), will likely help them. He and Enju are a team, after all.

It's fine. She won't say she has no regrets, but she's done what she can. She'll pass the baton on, her legacy held in Nii-sama and Ichigo's hearts. Back in Inuzuri that was what she'd never have thought she would have ever gotten, always believing that she would die and be forgotten, buried in an unmarked grave like all the other kids, if she even got a grave.

And then Ichigo shows up in front of her, and six words is all it takes to shatter her resolve.

"I came to save you, Rukia."

* * *

Fireworks erupt over the Soukyouku hill, signaling the start of the plan.

Hidden away still, Hinamori concentrates and lets out a pulse of reiatsu.

The bombs planted on the doors to the Central 46 chambers explode, blasting the doors open and setting off two and a half dozen alarms.

High up in a tree, Chad charges up his Fullbring and brings it crashing down. There's no gunpowder or flames involved but the impact sends up dust and rumble from the sheer power.

* * *

"Shihouin Yoruichi. What is the meaning of this." Yamamoto stares at the former Shihouin clan, and his two former students that stand alongside her, holding the Shihouin treasure that has just destroyed the Soukyouku, at the smoke billowing up from the Central 46 chambers. Behind them, the orange haired ryoka sets a crying Kuchiki Rukia down, murmuring to her.

"This farce is not right," Juushiro says firmly, "and we will not stand by and let this travesty go on when an innocent soul would pay the price for our inaction."

"Ignorant, foolish children," Yamamoto spits, and when his proteges run, he gives chase, knowing he is the only one with a chance at stopping them when they work together.

* * *

Zaraki still stages a jailbreak and faces off against Tousen and Komamura. That much does not change.

Ichigo disarms the lieutenants, intercepts Byakuya, and despite not having trained alongside Renji, puts his trust in him to get Rukia to safety. Yoruichi intercepts Soifon. All of that remains largely the same, up to there.

* * *

Hitsugaya is the first to discover the corpses of Central 46, responding the fastest to the explosion after leaving Matsumoto to deal with Kira. He can tell they have been dead for ages; likely before the ryoka had even arrived. The implications send shivers up his spine.

"H-Hitsugaya-kun!" an achingly familiar voice calls out and he whirls around.

Hinamori is there, looking uninjured, hands covering her mouth as she looks at the scene before her. "Hitsugaya-kun…"

"Hinamori!" He's at her side in an instant. "Where were you?!" The fact that she is here on her own two feet, no sign of any restraints or anything, has his stomach rolling for a different reason. Had Hinamori vanished willingly? Desertion of one's post during a time of crisis was a crime punishable by execution.

"I… I'm sorry, I-" Her breath hitches suddenly. "No…" Her expression becomes horrified. She reaches up to cling to Hitsugaya's arms. Hitsugaya turns around, and sucks in a breath.

"Hello," Aizen says, smiling softly. "It's been a while, Hinamori-kun, Hitsugaya-taichou."

* * *

Outside, it's pandemonium. Chad runs as he punches, vanishing beneath the reiatsu-concealing cloak only to reappear on another random street and send another group of shinigami flying. All of the higher ups are busy, engaged with ryoka or with each other. The chain of command is a mess.

Only Unohana, a master sensor and one of few captains not engaged in combat, notices the emergence of a reiatsu that she has been waiting for within the chambers of Central 46 and immediately alerts Isane to prepare to move out.

* * *

"Ai…zen?" Hitsugaya's mind freezes but quickly reboots. He's not considered a child prodigy for nothing.

Aizen is inside the Central 46 chambers, which had been locked down until now. Central 46 is all dead, but they had still received orders signed off by them.

Aizen is very clearly not dead.

Hitsugaya places himself between Aizen (if it even is him, his mind whispers, but he can feel the reiatsu and he knows the truth even if he doesn't want to accept it) and Hinamori. "Hinamori," he says, voice rough.

"Y-yes?"

"Do you trust me?"

Hinamori is still staring at Aizen, but she's no idiot. Her mind is just as sharp as his when she puts in the effort. "Yes," she says, voice still soft and vulnerable but there's the edge of confidence he knows she has.

"Get the Soutaichou." He's the only person Hitsugaya can be absolutely sure of right now. Him, Matsumoto, and Hinamori, that is. (After all, if Hinamori was a traitor she could have stabbed him hundreds of times in the last minute.)

Hinamori sucks in a breath and squeezes his arms, then nods. She turns to run, and out of the corner of his eye Hitsugaya sees the glint of steel too late, his mouth opening to let out a cry of horror-

"Santen Kesshun!" a girl's voice calls out, and a triangle-shaped barrier springs up between Ichimaru's zanpakuto and Hinamori's unprotected side. Shinso smashes into the shield but incredibly, the shield does not budge. Hitsugaya is at Hinamori's side the next instant as Ichimaru's zanpakuto retracts.

"Zanpakuto out," he hisses. Hinamori obeys with shaking hands, understanding how close to death she'd just come.

"Aw," Ichimaru says, steeping out from the shadows behind Aizen. "Sorry, cap'n. I missed."

"A shame," Aizen says, still wearing that familiar gentle smile. Hitsugaya had once appreciated it. It now sends a sliver of revulsion up his spine. "I was hoping to spare Hinamori-kun the pain of continuing on without me," Aizen continues, taking a step towards them. Hitsugaya tilts Hyourinmaru up in a clear threat. All doubt as to Aizen's allegiances are gone now.

He hears the pattering of feet behind them and tenses. The ryoka.

"It's okay," Hinamori murmurs quietly. "I was with them. They're- they're not the enemy." She continues to look at Aizen with a lost expression.

"I'm hurt, Hinamori-kun," Aizen says, voice gentle. "You know I always have your best interests in mind. You are a very precious person to me. Will you really suspect me so easily? Will you not listen to my explanation? And here I thought we were closer than that."

Hinamori starts shaking, her breath hitching, and Hitsugaya curses Aizen to a thousand bloody deaths but he cannot spare the attention to comfort her.

Help comes from a surprising place.

"Don't listen to him," the ryoka girl whispers loudly. "Remember- remember the letter." Hinamori takes a deep breath and nods, and raises Tobiume, much to Hitsugaya's relief. Most likely Hinamori is deep in denial and believes that this Aizen is an imposter, but he'll take whatever ensures she won't fold and die. The ryoka boy steps up beside Hitsugaya. The young captain twitches, but he can't afford to be picky with allies right now.

"Take Hinamori and go," Hitsugaya hisses. "I will hold them off."

"You're up against two captains," the ryoka boy murmurs.

"This is my duty," Hitsugaya replies. "Just make sure Hinamori is safe."

"… If you're sure." The ryoka boy steps back. A moment later, the three of them retreat.

"What a shame," Aizen repeats, still smiling. Hitsugaya doesn't think himself to be prone to excessive violence, but right now he wants to cut that smile right off Aizen's face. He lifts Hyourinmaru.

"Sit upon the frozen-"

* * *

Hinamori makes it as far as the middle of the stairs leading out of the chambers when she spots Unohana-taichou and Isane coming down the stairs. Relief crashes over her. "Unohana-taichou-"

Hitsugaya's reiatsu is snuffed out like a candle flame being extinguished. Unohana tenses, Isane, Ishida, and Inoue flinch, and Hinamori _screams._ She turns to leap down the stairs back into the chambers, but Ishida is at her side grabbing her arm.

"Let go!" she yells. "Let me go, Hitsugaya-kun is- Shiro-kun is--!" A hand covers her eyes, and everything turns black.

Uryuu catches Hinamori before she can fall down the stairs, flinching from the captain's sudden appearance at his side.

"Please take Hinamori-kun to safety," Unohana says calmly. "Trust no one but the old captain wearing the haori with the number one."

Uryuu exchanges looks with Inoue. That's what Enju-san and Yoruichi had said, too. That, and the fourth division captain also being relatively trustworthy, and unlikely to kill them on the spot so long as they didn't cross her. They nod.

"The traitor's goal is Rukia's execution," Uryuu says quietly, then he and Inoue each haul one of Hinamori's arms over their shoulders and run.

* * *

"T-traitor?" Isane squeaks, wringing her hands. "But that's…" _That's Aizen-taichou and Ichimaru-taichou_ , she thinks, and also Hitsugaya-taichou, who has been gravely injured.

"Stay close," Unohana murmurs. "Do not engage."

Aizen is waiting for them with a haggard look and a bloodied haori when they step into the chamber. Unohana takes a moment to examine the room of corpses, and Hitsugaya, bleeding profusely on the floor. Isane gasps in horror.

"Unohana-taichou," Aizen says, voice ragged. "Thank goodness. Hitsugaya-taichou trapped me here-"

"So you are the culprit, Aizen the traitor," Unohana murmurs.

Aizen's expression takes on a masterful imitation of hurt and sorrow for several moments before it smooths out into a mocking smile. The blood and injuries disappear in front of their eyes. He claps, the sound echoing in the chamber.

"I did think that if anyone would not be fooled, it would be you, Unohana-taichou. Still, it was worth a try. It would have amused me greatly. Tell me, what gave me away?"

"Many things," Unohana replies.

The fake corpse. Aizen's steady reiatsu despite his apparent injuries and ragged shape. Hinamori running _away_ from the chambers but trying to run back for _Hitsugaya._ Her own intuition kicking into high drive.

"Was it the corpse?" Aizen asks. "I thought I made a perfect replica, though. Would you be so kind as to tell me where I made a mistake?" He lifts up the corpse that suddenly appears in his hands, and from there, that encounter plays out as expected.

Carrying Rukia, Renji runs into Tousen, who transports them to the Soukyouku hill.

Ichigo and Yoruichi finish their fights with Byakuya and Soi Fon respectively.

Aizen and Ichimaru teleport to the Soukyouku hill.

Tenteikura is cast, centuries of deception revealed.

Ichigo arrives back at the Soukyouku, eyes stormy and mood foul. Rukia's older brother is an asshole and he had gotten no satisfactory answers from the man. 

He blocks the blade meant to kill Renji, berates Rukia yet _again_ for trying to convince them to leave, and prepares to face the captain-turned-traitor with his former enemy. He lunges at the man, then jerks himself to the side just barely enough that the sword that would have severed his spine merely cuts through his guts instead, and he profusely thanks Urahara for being a sadistic fuck that had honed his battlefield survival instincts into a finely polished point.

He fall down to his knees, holding his stomach together in one hand. He knows even without Aizen's gloating that he's down for the count, but it doesn't stop him from working through the pain as he crawls towards Rukia.

But he's forced to stop, bile rising in his throat, when Aizen recounts his plans and machinations, revealing Urahara's deception along with the fact that he's always been watching Ichigo.

"It was quite difficult to keep up the surveillance once Kurosaki Enju grew old enough to interfere," Aizen recalls. "Urahara could not move freely but she was free to roam where she wished, and she disposed of any hollow I sent to track you and your family."

"Nee-san… knew?" Ichigo asks, feeling sick at the implications.

"She has worked closely with Urahara for seven years," Aizen replies, amusement at his anguish clear on his face, "but you would know better than me, would you not, Kurosaki Ichigo? After all, you are her family." The taunt is transparent. 

"Nee-san- Nee-san was just learning how to control her powers from him," Ichigo rasps. "She's just here to help me. She wasn't even in Karakura when Rukia showed up! She'd been gone for two months!"

"Certainly," Aizen says, smiling. "If that is what you wish to believe. However, I know Urahara, and I will tell you this; Urahara is a man who holds his cards close and hates to share them. He keeps everyone around him in the dark as much as he can so that you are at his whims, easily lead along by the nose, or if he confides in you, that becomes another sort of manipulation all together. The only exceptions are the very few he considers his partners, such as his former captain, Shihouin Yoruichi." 

And Ichigo's worldview takes another hit at the revelation that _Yoruichi was a shinigami captain too._ What was meant to be a trip to rescue a friend is becoming something far too large, a tale of revenge and conspiracy.

Aizen smiles and continues for the finishing blow. "Tell me, Kurosaki Ichigo. Does Kurosaki Enju appear to be Urahara's partner or puppet?"

The silence is all the answer he needs.

"I really am curious to know how she grew her powers so much without losing control or tearing her soul apart," Aizen continues. "Perhaps as I thought, the key lies in a human soul…?"

"Nee-san didn't know," Ichigo says finally, desperately, more to himself than to Aizen. "Nee-san can't have known."

Nee-san wouldn't do that. She wouldn't have let all this happen to Rukia, wouldn't have let them all risk their lives. She wouldn't have let _him_ risk his life.

 _Except,_ he thinks, _Yoruichi was always with me, except when I snuck out. My life,_ he realizes with a sickening feeling of dread, _was always the least at risk._

_("I'm sorry, Ichigo. But my first priority will always be you.")_

_Why, why, why why why-_

_Why didn't you tell me anything, Nee-san?!_

(But deep down, he knows for a fact that Nee-san's protection has always been very selective and specific. It's really not that much of a stretch to imagine that she would put his friends in danger if it would protect him. That she would let Rukia suffer so much if in the end it would benefit him. He's just never had to see it for himself firsthand until now.)

He doesn't even get the time to contemplate that any further. Aizen extracts the Hogyoku from Rukia's soul in a horrific scene that will forever be burned in his memory. The few moments between the fox-faced captain releasing his zanpakuto and Byakuya intervening is one of the most terrifying moments of his life, and deep in his heart he knows that no matter how much he may dislike Byakuya or think the man an arrogant idiot, he won't be able to truly, fully hate the man anymore, because when Rukia's life was seconds from being extinguished he finally came to help. Decades too late, maybe, but better than never.

Yoruichi arrives with the cavalry and Negacion falls before he can demand more answers, and Aizen declares his intention to stand among the heavens as he leaves Soul Society. Ichigo lays on the ground on his back and breathes through the pain as Orihime, who had arrived with the long white haired captain and the captain wearing a pink haori, scrambles to heal him before he bleeds out.

"Yoruichi," he says softly, and the woman is at his side in an instant.

"What is it, kid? Save your strength if it's not important. Everyone is alive and fine."

"Nee-san," he says softly. "Did she know?"

Yoruichi hesitates, her eyes narrowing in a wince for just half a second, so fast he would have missed it if he hadn't been looking for it, but the hesitation has already given her away.

He closes his eyes. He's so tired.

* * *

Orihime, Chad, and Ishida are in the same room with him when he wakes up. It appears to be a dorm room or barracks of some sort.

"Ichigo!" Orihime is the first to notice that he's awake. His friends turn to face him, but they don't crowd him, which he's incredibly grateful for.

"How long was I out for?" he asks, rubbing his eyes.

"The rest of the day and the night yesterday. It's just past noon. Here, they said you should eat once you woke up. Don't worry, I didn't make them." Orihime hands him a plate of onigiri that he accepts gratefully.

"Are we in trouble?" he asks around a mouthful of rice which makes Ishida twist his nose up.

"Nope! We're all clear," Orihime chirps. "We're heroes now, haha!"

"We barely did anything," Ishida grumbles. Ichigo remembers that Ishida had allegedly tagged along for revenge, but he doubts the Quincy has fought even a single shinigami while he's been here and he doesn't seem that upset about it. Maybe he's been a bit too harsh on the guy.

"And Rukia?" Her initial sentence had been laid down by an imposter, he remembers, but her actions had technically been a crime in this world. They're going to have problems if they try to execute her again, though. Problems in the shape of a very big, very sharp cleaver to their throats.

"She'll be just fine," Orihime reassures him. "Her soul is still recovering, but since she's back in Seireitei and she's not being locked away anymore she said she should recover quickly." She smiles, a honestly happy smile and not the smiles meant to deflect worry that she still gives half the time. "She said that her brother told her all about why he actually adopted her and apologized to her and said he's going to protect her from now on, so you don't have to worry about the shinigami government trying to hurt her anymore. Apparently she's something like a princess!"

Ichigo scowls. "Byakuya's an idiot. I shouldn't have had to kick his ass to get him to protect his little sister." The thought reminds him of Nee-san and he feels a pang in his heart.

He looks around. There's three sets of bunk beds, but only four beds show signs of use, including his own. "… Where's Nee-san?"

Orihime's smile falters. Ishida averts his eyes. Only Chad meets him dead-on. "They took her out of her induced coma last night, but she hasn't woken up yet."

"Sorry," Orihime adds, "I wanted to try to heal her but Unohana-san said that it would be better to let her recover naturally since I overused my Shun Shun Rikka yesterday helping out."

 _It's fine,_ Ichigo tells himself instantly. It's normal for someone to take a little bit of time to wake up from an induced coma. Nevertheless the onigiri starts to taste like sawdust in his mouth.

* * *

He visits her hospital room once he's gotten some food in his belly, though the last onigiri had been difficult to choke down.

Anger is hard to maintain when Nee-san lays on a hospital bed, face deathly pale.

* * *

After a day of waiting in Nee-san's room, Unohana kicks him out with a pouch of coins and recommends that he get some fresh air and good food. Ichigo doesn't dare to defy the captain, having been warning by a disgruntled Ishida to not cross the woman.

He wanders through two-thirds of Seireitei in search of Rukia before finally remembering what Ganju told him, about Rukia's connection with the Shiba family. Unfortunately, Ganju is also back home, Yoruichi is off plotting and negotiating with the shinigami government to make sure and she and Urahara won't just end up behind bars once this is all over, and the rest of his friends aren't good enough with directions to remember how to get back to the Shiba house.

Thankfully, he meets someone who does. "Good afternoon, Kurosaki-kun." The white haired captain that had helped to destroy the Soukyouku smiles at him with a faintly wistful and longing expression that makes him a bit uncomfortable, but he manages to give a shallow bow. He briefly wonders why the man isn't wearing his captain's haori.

"Good afternoon, um…"

The man looks surprised for a moment before laughing. "Ah, how long has it been since someone didn't know my name? My apologies. I'm Ukitake Juushiro, captain of the 13th division and Rukia's commanding officer. On behalf of my division, I thank you for coming to her rescue."

Ichigo scratches his cheek sheepishly. "Seems like you guys would have handled it just fine without me." In hindsight, seeing the frankly absurd power levels of the captains and realizing just how much Byakuya had held back in their first meeting really makes their mad dash into Soul Society seem way more reckless, if not for Yoruichi and Nee-san pulling the strings behind the scenes to counter Aizen. He also feels even worse for having gotten upset that Nee-san hadn't challenged Byakuya for Rukia at the time.

"Most certainly not!" Ukitake laughs. "Kyouraku and I had our hands full with Yamamoto-soutaichou and Byakuya is a very formidable opponent. If not for you facing off against him and the distractions the rest of your friends caused, we would likely have been overwhelmed. Even so, we couldn't stand by and do nothing. Not this time." Something bitter passes over his face, reminding Ichigo of whenever Mom is brought up around Nee-san.

The expression is gone the next moment and Ukitake is smiling again. "I'm heading over to Shiba Kukaku's right now. There's a few things I need to discuss. You're looking for Rukia, right? Would you like to accompany me?"

"Oh, um, sure." Ichigo falls into pace alongside the captain. He has the feeling that their meeting is no coincidence, that Ukitake sought him out on purpose. He sighs. Why can't people just tell him when they're trying to help him? He knows he tends to be on the reckless side but he's no stupid. At least Nee-san hides things from him because she knows he'd be able to figure out more than she wants him to should she give him too much information. Now if only she had faith that he'd be able to handle whatever he learned…

"I know that Rukia gave you her shinigami powers, but that's about all I know," Ukitake says as they leave Seireitei for the grassy plains that stretch between the first couple of districts in Rukongai. "Would you mind telling me exactly how it happened?"

Ichigo hesitates. Part of him wants to believe that Ukitake is just looking out for Rukia. After all, this man committed treason to save her. But another part of him, caution drilled into him by Nee-san, knows that he doesn't know enough about Shinigami law and culture to know if anything he or Rukia did might be offensive or straight-up illegal.

He decides to keep it short and to the points that are already more or less public knowledge. "A hollow attacked my house because I have really high reiatsu. Rukia was there, but the hollow got a lucky hit in and pretty much took her out. All of us were gonna die at that point, so Rukia offered me the chance to defeat the hollow by becoming a shinigami. She did tell me there was a chance I might die. Um, afterwards she showed up at my school in a gigai and taught me the ropes so that I could do the hollow-slaying in her place." He rubs his neck. "That's pretty much it." Ukitake's knowing look says that the man knows that that is very much not even close to all that happened, but the man also seems like he approves of Ichigo's caution.

Thankfully, Ukitake doesn't press any further, instead filling the silence with tales of Rukia's time as a shinigami, from her graduation and acceptance into his division ("She was late on the first day and was so nervous," he laughs. "But I had a pretty bad relapse that morning - I used to be quite ill - so no one remembered we were supposed to be getting a new recruit until she showed up, and then we had to send her home because I was in no shape to greet her.") to other various mishaps ("She once submitted one of her Chappy drawings instead of a mission report, and it was past midnight when she realized, so she tried to sneak back into the office only for Sentaro to think she was a burglar because she was dressed in black. He chased her halfway around the compound and into my koi pond until he recognized her, then woke half the division up laughing when she admitted why she was there.").

By the time they reach the Shiba house, Ichigo is fighting off a grin from all the ~~blackmail materials~~ stories that he knows now.

Rukia is chatting quietly to Kukaku outside on the grass when they arrive. Neither of them seem upset, which is a good sign. Kukaku's face lights up when she spots Ichigo, then darkens dangerously when she sees who he's with, which makes Ichigo pause, wondering if maybe he shouldn't have taken up the captain on his offer. Rukia glances between her captain and the sister of the man she loved, eyes flickering nervously, though she still bows hastily to her captain.

"Ichigo," Kukaku says, not taking her eyes off of Ukitake. "Glad to see you're back. Ganju's inside getting the preparations set up; how about you and Rukia go in and help?"

"Eh? Preparations?"

Kukaku's expression eases up as she looks back at Ichigo. "Yeah. For the celebration. It's a good thing you showed up or we would have had to drag you here." She grins. "Two new Shiba brats joining the family and one marrying in."

"Oh, you got two more kids? Congrats." Ichigo says, then blinks as Kukaku snickers and Rukia brings a hand up to her face. "… I've missed something."

"She means _you_ , fool," Rukia sighs. "You and Nee-san. Erm, Enju-san."

Ichigo frowns. "You know Nee-san won't mind you calling her Nee-san." The rest of what she said registers. "… WHAT?!"

Kukaku grins and shoves him towards Rukia. "Go on, get going. We'll chat more later."

"Why am I preparing my own celebration?!" But he falls into step beside Rukia as they head in. "Really, though. Nee-san won't mind." Nee-san has always made it very clear when she did.

"Ah, it's not that," Rukia smiles, a touch sadly. "I just found out that Nii-sama's wife who passed away was actually my sister. She arrived in Soul Society when I was just a baby, but it was too difficult to survive in outer Rukongai so she left me." Ichigo makes a note to never tell Nee-san this story… If she doesn't already know. "After she married Nii-sama, she went to search for me even though she was of poor health. Shortly before she passed away, she asked him to look for me, but to not tell me that she was my sister, because she felt that she'd lost the right to have that."

Rukia looks so blissfully happy and no doubt Kukaku has forgiven her part in her brother's death, so Ichigo swallows down his burning rage and tells himself to not ruin her day.

Because if Rukia had been that important to Byakuya, then the fact that the man had turned away when she was to be executed is just even more unacceptable.

But they've already crossed that bridge, and Byakuya has apparently turned a new leaf over, so for Rukia's sake, Ichigo will let it go.

Ganju is inside mixing some powders together when they knock gently on the door. "One sec," his relative says, and Ichigo takes a moment to let the fact sink in. They have relatives. Spirit relatives from Soul Society.

It's possible that Nee-san didn't know. He wouldn't bet on that, though. Bitterly, he thinks that he would have liked to have heard from her, but at the same time hearing from Kukaku isn't that bad. And Ukitake must have known, or at least heavily suspected, but had allowed his actual family to let him know instead.

"Oh, you're here," Ganju says casually, and Ichigo takes advantage of his lack of guard to get the guy in a headlock.

"When were you gonna tell me we're related?!"

"Ow, ouch! You bastard- hey, be careful! Don't knock over the powders or we're all deader than dead! Nee-san told me not to tell, okay?! You and Enju are clearly half human and that's all sorts of illegal. And Yoruichi-san said you would definitely have told your friends, so it was for the best to tell you afterwards, when Seireitei couldn't have you executed for existing."

Ichigo scowls, because he can't deny that he would most certainly have told his friends. It still grates that everyone is hiding things from them to protect them. He _deserved_ to know this.

He sighs and lets Ganju go. "Fine. Kukaku said to help you. What should we do?"

They spend the next few hours carefully measuring and handing over to Ganju various different powders, and Ichigo has to admit the actual process of putting together fireworks is fascinating and has him more excited than usual to see the resulting show, knowing that he had a hand in setting it up. Ganju smiles knowingly when he hesitantly asks when the fireworks will actually be set off.

"When Enju wakes up, of course."

* * *

Kukaku crosses her arms and glares. "You know you're not welcome here."

Ukitake has the grace to allow his shame to show when he bows. He's showed up without his captain's haori today because he is here as Kaien's friend, because that is the heavier of his offences. "I'm aware. Even so, after everything that happened, I felt that I should come to apologize in person."

"We don't want your apology," Kukaku snaps. "We never did! Not then, and definitely not now, ten years too late!"

"Yes," Ukitake agrees.

"We just wanted for someone, for _anyone_ , for a _single fucking person_ out of the _thousands_ we'd helped at one point or another to stand up and say _"Hey, this is bullshit and Kaien isn't that kind of person."_ Just _one_."

Ukitake lowers his head. "Yes." He can't use his grief as an excuse. Everyone had been grieving, He had lost a beloved lieutenant, Rukia had lost her pillar of support, but the Shiba clan had lost a brother, an uncle, a son, a beloved and reliable clan head.

And when Central 46 had pounced on the moment of weakness to try to tighten the reigns on the clan that was the hardest to control and manipulate, the one clan that dared to look Central 46 in the eye and say "Fuck off" when they pushed too far.

When Central 46 had declared the clan rebellious and dissident based on the actions of their clan leader and slandered Kaien's name beyond recognition, no one had said a word in their defense - at least, no one who's word would be heard by Central 46. Was it any wonder that in retaliation, the Shiba clan had pulled out every last member from Seireitei, crippling their numbers, preferring to become farmers and merchants than to bow to Central 46 any longer? To this day the scattered members still held a deep seated hatred for those in power that at the time had done nothing.

Kukaku rubs her eyes, a muttered "fuck" escaping, and oh no she's _crying-_

Ukitake is in front of her in an instant, gently gathering Kukaku in his arms. He remembers when she was younger, still a wild and reckless young girl that tagged along with Kaien to visit him, who would jump into his koi pond to cool off and play with his fish when his meetings with Kaien went long in the summer.

He remembers lying in bed staring blankly at the ceiling as he replayed the events of that horrific night over and over again, trying to come up with any way that he could have saved Kaien and spared Rukia the trauma, as she rammed her fists on his compound doors while Kiyone and Sentarou shouted and kept her out while she damn near screamed for him to get his cowardly ass out there and face her. It had taken weeks, and Kyouraku coaxing him with alcohol to get him to face his grief. By then, the Shiba clan had already left Seireitei.

But he knows it isn't his failure as Kaien's captain that she's the most angry about. It's his failure as Kaien's friend, as _her_ friend, as someone who should have been there for her, that has her so upset.

"I'm so sorry, Kukaku," he says, letting her slam her fist against his shoulder, and the missing arm makes his heart ache even more. Kaien would never had let her get up to the sort of experiments that would have caused her to lose an arm without making sure she had proper precautions set up. "I'm so, so sorry," he repeats, and holds her as she cries without making a sound.

Kukaku pushes him away a few minutes later, eyes red and still glaring. "I haven't forgiven you yet," she snaps, and he nods because this isn't the sort of thing that can be settled with a single conversation and apology and he doesn't want the forgiveness to come so easily either. "But you can stay for the party."

Ukitake smiles, recognizing the olive branch. "Thank you. It'll be a delight; it's been a long time since I've seen Shiba fireworks."

"Of course," Kukaku sniffs. "You call those pathetic firecrackers you guys put up on new years fireworks? You've forgotten what real fireworks are."

"I'd be delighted to see the real deal once again."

* * *

Halfway through the day Ichigo suddenly connects a couple dots.

"Wait, was Shiba Kaien like- my uncle?!"

Rukia snorts as Ganju sighs. "Wow, you're slow today," his cousin drawls. "Yeah, something like that. You're a dead ringer for him, if you had Enju's hair you could pass for him when he was a kid."

Ichigo elbows Ganju, who hisses and jerks away to stop the vial of powder he's holding from tipping.

Well, that certainly explains some of the looks he's been getting.

* * *

A day later, Enju finally wakes up, and the ever-growing knot in Ichigo's chest finally unwinds. After the obligatory hug, reassurance that she is okay, and run down of what happened, Enju lays back against the raised pillows.

"Might we have some privacy?" she asks Yoruichi, who stands up obligingly and trots out the door. She can tell Ichigo has questions he wants to ask that will likely be quite personal in nature. "How are you finding Seireitei?" she asks first to start the conversation, already guessing at his answer.

"It's too big and white and pompous," he replies immediately with a scowl. "And Zaraki keeps on chasing me when I step outside. At least it's easy to lose him." She laughs and reaches over to ruffle his hair. He allows it without protesting for once, a sign of how worried he must have been. "I guess the ponds and gardens over in the 13th are nice. Even if the bonsai look weird."

"The 13th… Ah, Rukia's division?"

"Yeah. Ukitake's a nice dude and hides me from Zaraki whenever the guy sees me." Enju huffs a laugh at the mental image. Ichigo gives her a measured look and adds, "I visited Kukaku again. Where you ever going to tell me that Ganju's our cousin from our dad's side, and that dad's been lying to us our whole lives?"

Enju's laugh breaks off into a series of coughs. When she has her breath back, she looks away guiltily. "… Not anytime soon," she admits. "Ideally, once we returned I would have talked to dad so that he could tell you. It isn't my story to tell." She sighs at Ichigo's unconvinced look. "Did Kukaku tell you it's illegal for a shinigami to marry and have children with a human?"

"Yeah. But if I was going to find out anyways, and you already knew, I would have liked to hear it from you." He gives her a measured look. "Like how I had to hear from that Aizen creep himself that he's basically been stalking us from childhood."

Enju flinches. "He… He told you himself, then."

"Yeah." They sit in silence for a little bit as Enju collects her thoughts.

"I'm sorry," she says finally. "I didn't want to risk Aizen being tipped off that you might know. He already knew of my involvement, but..." Then she frowns and bites her lip. "No, that's not right. I…" She looks up at him and then back down and away, and the action is so oddly vulnerable and openly scared and it makes him remember that she's just woken up and must be tired. But she's never this open and honest with her words, so as bad as he feels for doing it, he doesn't relent. She sighs again, her hands curling to grasp the covers. "I needed you to be focused on saving Rukia," she admits. "I thought that if you knew about Aizen, when we inevitably went up against him, you might push yourself too hard trying to fight him instead of focusing on Rukia's survival, and if he decided you were a serious threat you would not have survived."

And here it is, the admission that Enju has been just as complicit in setting their lives up for this as Urahara was. Urahara, protecting two worlds, and Enju protecting Ichigo, but regardless of the reason they still attached puppet strings to everyone without informing them, himself included.

But that's nothing new. Ever since the reveal that Enju had been preparing him for a life of fighting the supernatural from the moment she stepped up to wrangle their family, he's come to realize just how much Enju is involved, just how much she knows. But it's not that part that bothers him. If anything, he's so, so proud of his sister, standing among giants in order to give him the best life he could have.

It's that Enju seems to think that Ichigo doesn't feel the same way about her that she feels about him. That she doesn't seem to find value in herself aside from what she can do to protect him. And he'd let it stand before, too spooked by that one time she'd vanished on him to dare to risk confronting her again, but he can't let it go on like this any further or Nee-san will slip out of his grasp forever.

"When Yoruichi told me that you were caught by Byakuya and wounded so badly that you had to be put in an induced coma," he says quietly, "I felt like I was eight again and just laying there waiting as mom's body got colder and colder, not able to do anything." Enju inhales sharply, digging her nails into her palms. He hates resorting to this, resorting to using _his_ pain to try to persuade her, but he continues.

"Rukia once said to me, that she thought maybe you hid things from me not to protect me, but to protect yourself. So that you could tell yourself that you weren't causing me any suffering, even if it meant you got hurt. But Nee-san, it hurts me even more when you do that." 

Enju flinches now, curling in on herself, and Ichigo very nearly gives in to the urge to just forgive everything and tell her it's okay, because he's never seen Enju this distraught and it scares him. But this needs to be said. He reaches out gently to take his sister's hands, uncurling her fingers from her palms.

"Nee-san," he says gently. "You pretty much raised me. I promise that whatever bad news, whatever unpleasant truths, I can handle it, because you taught me how to be strong. I'm joining this fight. So let me stand beside you and look out for you, the way you've always been looking out for me."

Enju's shoulders are shaking now. She turns her head away, not making any noise. Ichigo's heart sinks. He lets go of her hands. "I hope," he says quietly, "that one day you'll be able to have faith in me. But I won't sit behind you and let you shield me, and I can't wait until you're ready." He stands up and adds, "I'm really glad you're okay," and leaves.

"I'm sorry," Enju says quietly to the empty room once she's sure Ichigo is out of earshot. "I'm so sorry." She buries her face in her hands as tears begin to fall. "But, Ichigo, I can't ever tell you everything, because if you knew, you might not think of me as your sister anymore. And I won't be able to bear with that."

* * *

She dreams of white masks and violence that night.

* * *

A pic of Enju with her new hairstyle! Her eyes should be more orange but the picrew didn't have the option for orange eyes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> One more chapter to wrap up the Soul Society arc!
> 
> Also this is late notice but I started another SI OC as Aizen's illegitimate daughter kek please check that out if you're interested~
> 
> I'm also working on an Arrancar SI OC fic, a Grimmjow/oc one that I've had the idea sitting in my drafts for a while. I got re-inspired because my box sets came in and I started rereading the Las Noches invasion arc hehe
> 
> The plan consisted of:
> 
> Ishida, Orihime, and Momo blowing up the doors to the Central 46 chamber to reveal the corpses. A medic would be able to tell that they'd been dead for longer than the ryoka had been in Soul Society, which would have cleared their name and also revealed part of the deception on their terms instead of Aizen's. Also less chance of Momo getting tricked and stabbed when half of Seireitei is being drawn to the location. Chad occupied the run of the mill shinigami by doing hit and run tactics, largely to keep them away from the main action so as to reduce collateral damage.
> 
> Ichigo and Yoruichi handled the hill. Ichigo was just told to prepare to fight the captains and to get Rukia to safety, but really Yoruichi was stalling for time until Aizen appeared. The Hogyoku was bait and they had to use the real one to draw Aizen out, plus the creation of the arrancar would be crucial for the Quincy war. But no one but Yoruichi, Urahara, Enju, and Shinji know that.
> 
> Instead of following Ichigo to the hill, Ishida and Orihime were told to hide themselves with Hinamori once their job was done, so they put on reiatsu concealing cloaks and hid in a warehouse until the fighting stopped. Then Orihime announced she was going to go heal people and Ishida didn't think he'd be able to stop her based on the look on her face so he went with her lol.
> 
> Oh and Kurotsuchi wasn't interested in anything so he just stayed in his labs doing research.
> 
> 08/07/2020 First Post


	7. Fireworks

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm back o/
> 
> A big shoutout to all the readers who dropped by and left kudos and especially to all the lovely commenters. I contemplated putting this on permanent hiatus for a long time but it was your comments that kept on dragging me back and gave me the determination to finish this and not just keep it in my head <3

_The Soul Society Arc (4/4)_

* * *

Unohana has the uncanny ability to make grown men revert to naughty toddlers who know they've done something wrong. Enju doesn't stand a chance; she very nearly squirms under the captain's calm yet deadly gaze.

Finally, the captain breaks the silence to say softly, "You are aware of the state of your reiatsu?"

"… Yes." Enju doesn't look away but it's a close thing.

"Am I correct in assuming Urahara is aware as well?"

"He is." She wouldn't have done this without running it by him first; she's not that reckless.

Unohana looks down at the report in her hands again, lips pursed.

"If you were one of my division members," she says finally, "I would have had you on mandatory medical leave for a month, if not discharged." As old guard, someone aware of the Maggot's nest and Urahara's former occupation before he was a captain, it's a clear message to her.

Enju juts her chin out. She respects Unohana's medical expertise but in this she will not back down. It had to be done if she was to survive and ensure that their plans succeed. She is not particularly smart, or clever, or strong, so she will need to use every scrap of advantage she has, even if it means messing around with her soul.

Unohana must understand what she's thinking, because the woman hands her the report and discharges her without further fuss.

Ichigo and Orihime are waiting for her in the lobby, chatting quietly to each other. Orihime perks up when she spots her and runs over immediately to hug her.

"Enju-nee, I'm so glad you're all better," the sweet girl says, squeezing hard to show her displeasure at Enju's actions that had landed her in the hospital. Orihime is trained in karate, so it's quite the strong grip.

Enju laughs softly and pats her back. "Was there any doubt?" Her eyes flicker to Ichigo, who follows at a more sedate pace.

"Yo." He lifts a hand in greeting, grinning at her plight. Something in Enju uncurls. There's still a distance between them, but that doesn't mean they don't care about each other anymore.

"Hiding from Zaraki-taichou?" she teases. Ichigo scowls immediately.

"Don't say his name. I swear it'll summon him or something."

Enju laughs again. She hasn't felt this stress-free in a long time. There's still the worst to come, but for once they have some breathing room, some time to just get their bearings again.

"Why don't we go for lunch somewhere? I'd like to have something that's not hospital food. Not that it was bad, but…"

Orihime nods in understanding. "There's a good curry place nearby!"

"Hmm. I'm surprised they have curry. Isn't that a fairly modern dish?"

Rukia greets them at the doors of the division with an apologetic look. "I'm sorry to ask this of you just as you were discharged, Enju-san, but… my brother wishes to speak to you."

Enju blinks. She'd assumed that the man would have wanted nothing to do with her after all the things she'd said to him. (Ichigo has already explained the whole thing with Rukia and Hisana so she's not surprised that the girl no longer called her Nee-san.)

"Alright then, I'll find him after lunch." She raises an eyebrow when Rukia opens her mouth to protest. The girl winces and closes her mouth.

She's not at Byakuya's beck and call, after all. The man can wait for her to get some food first.

"In the meantime, would you like to join us for lunch?"

"I should tell my brother that you'll be visiting later…"

Ichigo snorts. "I'm sure he can wait an hour. He's still in the hospital, right? It's not like he's got anywhere to go."

 _He's going to stew about in his head,_ Rukia thinks, but they have a point. And besides, Renji is keeping him company. "Okay, then."

Lunch is a quick affair of curry on rice, Ichigo and Enju ordering spicy, Rukia ordering mild, and Orihime ordering super-spicy with a side of wasabi and soy sauce. They banter and snip at each other and ignore the stares they get out of spite.

Rukia finds herself unwinding a little bit more. She's so grateful for her friends. The conversation had turned awkward briefly when they had discussed the Hogyoku, Aizen, and the Gotei 13's plans for the immediate future, but Rukia had been quick to assure them - Enju in particular - that she had no hard feelings, even though she had the feeling that Enju wouldn't have been too bothered even if Rukia held a grudge.

But Rukia doesn't mind, because as far as she is concerned, all of what happened was the end result of her giving her powers to Ichigo willingly, so it's only fair that Enju prioritized Ichigo's safety even at the risk of Rukia's well-being. Though she _is_ a bit miffed that they had kept their plan from her. If she'd been told that all of what had happened had been part of a plot to lure a traitor out, she would have actually been spared a lot of mental anguish.

But still, all's well that ends well, and she didn't survive Inuzuri by clinging onto grudges.

After lunch is a whole different matter. Ichigo and Orihime leave reluctantly to regroup with Ishida and Chad. Ishida is understandably less enthusiastic about leaving the safety of their assigned barracks if he doesn't have to and Chad stayed to keep him company.

Rukia escorts Enju to the 4th and they walk in a somewhat awkward silence. Well, awkward for Rukia. Enju seems perfectly at ease; she's never seemed to be the talkative type either, going through the motions only when prompted.

"Um, oh yeah! I was very surprised to hear that you were Kaien-donor's niece," Rukia blurts out after the silence starts to get to her. She regrets it immediately when Enju tenses briefly before forcing her shoulders to relax. Evidently Enju is not a fan of the topic. "Er, will you be attending Kukaku-san's celebration?"

"It would be very rude of me to not show up considering it is a celebration for Ichigo and I," Enju replies dryly. "Yes, I will be attending. I hear that you and your captain were invited as well."

"Y-yes." As had Yoruichi, being Kukaku's close friend, and her brother Yuushiro, but no other nobles, in a very clear snub. She has no doubt that Kukaku simply purely wants to celebrate the discovery of her new relatives without politics getting in the way, but it's certainly a very politically pointed move. Showing the influence she has over the powerful new group that singlehandedly saved Seireitei and outed a traitor.

Conversation stalls until they reach Byakuya's room. "Thank you," Enju says in clear dismissal, and Rukia waves and takes one step towards the hallway before stopping to glance back at her brother for confirmation. He gives her an unreadable look but nods and she scurries away, tugging a protesting Renji with her. She has a feeling she doesn't want to be around for this particular conversation.

"Oh dear," Enju drawls as she takes a seat on the chair Renji had just vacated. "I hope Ichigo didn't hurt you _too_ badly." She's all smiles and sunshine, seeing the proof that Ichigo managed to get the better of Byakuya. The man gives her a sharp look that would likely quell a subordinate instantly, but she's no such thing. She leans back in her chair and crosses her legs pointedly.

Byakuya sighs. "I am fine. Such wounds will heal quickly under the 4th division's treatment." He makes an expression that might be a very mild scowl and adds, "He held back. I doubt he meant to, but he stopped short of a killing blow." He meets her eyes. "It would be best to rid him of that sentiment. Mercy has no place on the battlefield."

Enju tilts her head. "But senseless obstinacy does, apparently."

His eyes narrow. They both know what she's talking about; his adamant determination to see Rukia's execution through, up until Ichigo had defeated him and freed him from his self-imposed obligations.

But then Byakuya's expression clears up, his tone deceptively neutral, and she's instantly on guard.

"That is, in part, why I have requested your presence." He holds her gaze as he speaks. "Rukia confirmed to me that she did not divulge her personal life to you or your companions. How did you know of them?"

A trick question, a lure to get her to slip up and admit that she _did_ know the truth despite Rukia having not told her. He and Yoruichi are quite similar, for all that he'll deny it to his dying breath. But Enju had expected this.

"I didn't know," she replies. "I made a few guesses, and then chose the words that I hoped would throw you off balance the most." The words that would _hurt_ him the most. She gives a smile that's not at all nice. "I was running for my life, after all."

Byakuya's gaze does not falter, distrust clear in his eyes, but he does not call her out on her bluff. He does not trust her motivations, for all that she ended up helping Rukia. He, too, has heard of the truth behind this entire incident. No doubt most of the captains think she is just like Ichigo and his friends, protected but still being used as pawns, however willingly, to carry out Urahara's plans.

But Byakuya clearly understands from their brief interaction that she stands alongside Urahara and Yoruichi in this, which means that she too had a hand in allowing Rukia's suffering to go on until the last possible moment. He only keeps his silence because he, too, did nothing to help her until the end. So he will not - cannot - judge her for her part in the plot Urahara laid, but he will not trust her.

He's wise despite his obstinacy and drama.

She's so tired. Tired of all the politicking, the ruses, the lies. But this is what she wanted. To be included. To be in charge of her own future.

"And the other reason you wanted to speak to me?" she asks, to distract herself from such thoughts.

Byakuya continues to observe her. She's careful to keep her posture loose and relaxed, hiding her apprehension behind as many layers as she can. She wasn't specifically trained in counter-interrogation but one picks up things after seven years with Shihouin Yoruichi and Urahara Kisuke.

"I wish for you to pass a message on to Urahara Kisuke," the man says finally, breaking eye contact. "Should he lay his hands on Rukia again, I shall ensure that he no longer has hands with which to do so."

There's a moment of stunned silence on her end, and then she bursts out laughing. Byakuya glares, clearly miffed, but she ignores him to wrap her arms around her sides and wheeze. She manages to straighten up after a good minute, wiping a tear from the corner of her eye.

"We might get along after all," she says, and offers him a softer, more genuine smile. Here he finally is, the hints of the man that will finally put his sister above his clan, who will become an ally so stalwart and indomitable that not even Tsukishima's manipulations of his memory would be enough to turn him against Ichigo. The surprised look on his face at her sincerity is just the icing on the cake. "Very well, I'll deliver your message."

* * *

The next person to ambush her is a somewhat unsteady but still fairly healthy Hinamori Momo who doesn't look two seconds and one wrong word from shattering. She's followed by Hitsugaya, whose frosty glare keeps at bay distrustful looks and whispers alike.

"Do you have a moment, Kurosaki-san?" the girl asks hesitantly.

_No._

"Of course. What is it?" She's careful not to say _how may I help you._

"I wanted to thank you. For- everything." Hinamori bows deeply. Something twists uncomfortably in Enju's gut.

"None of it was for you," she replies, keeping her tone light and pleasant so as to not imply offence. "There's nothing you need to thank me for." She's grateful for Hitsugaya's presence - he clearly doesn't trust her fully, and that pleases her and gives her something else to focus on.

"Even so." Hinamori maintains her bow, and only lifts her head when Hitsugaya steps up to yank her arm.

"Oi, you're gonna be late. You don't wanna keep Unohana-taichou waiting." He gives Enju a nod as he tugs Hinamori away, much to her relief. Sensible people make her so happy.

"Ah- Shiro-chan! Geez. Um, bye, Kurosaki-san!" Hinamori waves and yanks her arm out of Hitsugaya's to walk beside him instead of being dragged along. She still looks a bit pale, heavy bags under her eyes indicating trouble sleeping, but it's a marked improvement from the fate that would have awaited her. For better or for worse, Hinamori is not out of the picture anymore.

She just hopes that Hinamori won't end up going to Karakura. Hitsugaya probably won't allow it, if he still ends up in charge of selecting the team to go.

Well, ultimately that will be Urahara's problem, not hers.

* * *

The party at the Shiba compound is already underway by the time Enju escapes from one overeager Zaraki - and hadn't that been an unpleasant surprise, finding out that Zaraki also had his sights set on her, the older sister of the boy that had been able to defeat him. She is far better at suppressing her reiatsu than Ichigo, but Zaraki is persistent and not above destroying walls to carve the shortest path to her when he does spot her, it takes an hour to lose him, and another to arrive at the party.

It's small if not subdued, much to her relief. The only attendees are the Shibas, her own motley gang, Kyouraku and Ukitake, and a timid boy who introduces himself as Yamada Hanataro. It takes a good few minutes for Enju to remember who he was, after which she gives him a genuinely fond and grateful smile that makes him blush to the roots of his hair and stammer an apology before fleeing.

""My, my," a familiar voice drawls playfully behind her. "So young and already so charming." Kyouraku lifts a hand in greeting, Ukitake at his side. "If Kaien were still around he'd be gearing up to swat away all the boys, I'm sure."

It's innocuous enough but the words have her nearly bristling, for a variety of reasons.

She's a Kurosaki, not Shiba. The clan has no claim on her, and Isshin was no longer one when he and Masaki raised her.

She doesn't need or want anyone protecting her from boys. And what if she decides to run away into the sunset with a girl?

Ichigo is not Kaien. If they start to impose expectations on him based on his similar appearance, well. They don't need the _Shibas_ for the upcoming plans.

She packs the unpleasant feeling away before she can act on it, but something must have slipped because Ukitake's expression becomes slightly sorrowful.

"We apologize," he says, smiling ruefully. "It's quite uncouth to bring up the dead during a celebration.

Enju looks away. "You didn't say anything," she says pointedly. She hates people apologizing for others, as though that absolves the other of what they did or said.

Kyouraku chuckles. "Aye, I understand, milady. My apologies. I meant it as a joke but- I see now it was in poor taste. Ah, here comes your brother. Oops…"

And indeed, Ichigo is headed her way, expression thunderous. From his perspective, it must look like the two captains are cornering her.

"Nee-san?" he asks quietly.

"It's nothing." She gives him a small smile, placing a hand on his arm soothingly. "Let's go. I smell something good." Ichigo's brow furrows and he looks between her and the two captains, who watch fondly, but nods and leads her away.

"I get the feeling she was a lot more friendly the last time we met," Kyouraku muses.

Ukitake sighs. "Nanao doesn't yell at you enough."

* * *

The fireworks are due to go off late at night, once the sky is sufficiently dark. Until then, the food and drinks flow. Ichigo and his friends are relegated to peach and orange juice, squeezed fresh from Shiba orchards, but Enju sips on a saucer of sake, bottle in hand, occasionally pouring some for Kukaku and Yoruichi. It's nice being of legal drinking age, and this time in a body that can somewhat handle alcohol.

The booze loosens the adults up, and they're chatting fairly loudly, telling all sorts of amusing stories. The're roughly split into two groups, the "kids" and the "adults," but both are close enough to converse with the other group.

Ukitake shares some of his stories about Rukia, much to her mortification, but she has a pleased glow about her, happy to be among her friends. Enju sits among the adults, because that's where the sake is. Byakuya shows up much later, looking particularly thunderous as Yoruichi and Kukaku cackle like fiends.

He considers the seating arrangements, goes to sit down beside Rukia, then pauses at Enju's sudden glare. She casts her eyes over to Rukia, who is now stiff and nervous, then back up to him. For a moment, he doesn't move, then he sighs softly and changes direction to sit between her and Ukitake, the only open space among the adults. The kids group immediately start whispering. Enju is buzzed enough that she can't hear what they're saying unless she focuses, but judging from Byakuya's expression, it must be quite entertaining.

"Hey, Byakuya-bo! I heard you got your ass kicked by our lil princess here," Yoruichi laughs, taking a sip of the sake. "Well, that's to be expected for someone I trained."

"You chased me around and bit my ankles if you caught me," Enju murmurs into her own saucer. "That's hardly training."

"It counts! It's how I trained Byakuya, right?"

"That was not training," Byakuya replies archly, and Enju gives him a commiserating look.

"At least you didn't also have to suffer Urahara-san's training," Enju sighs, taking her bottle to sip straight from it, much to Kukaku and Yoruichi's delight.

Kyouraku's eyes glint. "Oh, do tell. I heard hilarious stories of when he was captain of the twelfth."

Enju swirls her bottle as she considers what story to tell, the whole group falling into a hushed silence in anticipation.

"Well, there was one time, I think it was about a year after I started training with him…"

* * *

"Oi, Enju. Wake up."

"Mmm…" She curls up tighter, leaning further into the warmth at her side.

"You're gonna miss the fireworks. C'mon, Enju." A wet nose presses into her cheek, making her squirm and push the offending face away. Sharp fangs graze her fingers in warning, and she cracks an eye with a disgruntled noise.

She immediately wishes she'd kept her eyes closed. The reiatsu beside her is tumulous and dark despite the lack of physical movement from the body it inhabits. Rukia is making somewhat strangled noises while Orihime coos and Ichigo radiates brotherly disapproval.

"My apologies," Enju sighs, detaching herself from Byakuya and standing up to follow the group as they head for a nearby hill to get a better view of the fireworks, that will be launched from the house.

Yoruichi snickers as she jumps onto Enju's shoulders.

The fireworks are just as marvelous as she'd hoped. Everyone watches in respectful silence and awe as colours and shapes explode in the sky one after the other, some in impossibly intricate patterns and designs, others even moving a bit after exploding.

"You've outdone yourself," Enju murmurs, moving to stand beside Kukaku.

"Thanks, kid." Kukaku ruffles her hair. "Kaien would have approved of you, you know. You and Ichigo both."

"… Have you never thought of returning to Seireitei?" It would be a much easier life than the one they live out here.

Kukaku snorts. "Not on your life. Out here's the place for me. For _us_. We just didn't realize it 'till we finally came back here." After they'd lost everything.

"I see." Enju's eyes drift over to Ukitake, who's looking at them warmly. No- he's looking at Kukaku warmly. She glances up at Kukaku, who's scowling, but doesn't seem entirely displeased. "Is… there something between…"

" _No_." The flat tone brooks no argument. But Enju grew up wrangling twin sisters. Kukaku sighs. "It's- he's making up for what happened with Kaien. For not being able to save him."

"But wasn't he…" she trailed off, face pale, as it finally occurs to her.

Kaien died approximately ten years ago. By then, Ukitake was already healthy. So why had Rukia still carried guilt over Kaien's death? Why had Ukitake not been able to kill Kaien?

Kukaku gives her an odd look, but tells her the story. It comes out in pieces; how Miyako had gotten possessed, and Kaien had begged to be allowed to lead the team to hunt and kill her. How Ukitake had stayed behind in case the possessed Miyako backtracked and tried to attack the base camp.

How Rukia had snuck out, desperate to help, only to end up being the distraction that had allowed the hollow to possess Kaien instead, and who was then tortured by the possessed Kaien, the hollow within wanting to savour its meal.

How Ukitake had ended up killing Kaien, but lost a whole team, as well as having been unable to protect Rukia, whom Byakuya had entrusted to him.

How afterwards, rumours had been spread by Central 46 saying that Kaien had attempted to assault Rukia, using the social fallout from the slander to try to control the Shiba clan, only for the Shiba clan to throw down the towel and leave Seireitei for good.

 _Ah,_ Enju thinks. _So it only made things worse._

She brings a hand up to her chest, a bitter expression on her face.

Kukaku abruptly grabs her into a chokehold. "That's enough depression for the night," she announces. "Fireworks are over. Go get a good night's sleep."

Enju smiles softly even as she taps Kukaku's arm repeatedly to get the woman to release her.

"Yes, Aunt Kukaku."

The chokehold tightens.

* * *

"There's something I should tell you," Enju says softly. Beside her, Ichigo jerks, then steps closer. The two of them are walking at the very back of the pack, Enju having purposefully slowed down until some distance had built up. Perhaps assuming that the siblings wanted some peace and quiet together, everyone else had gone on ahead.

"It's about our mother," she continues, reaching out to take Ichigo's hand. She can feel the nervousness wafting off of him. He's not used to her volunteering information he hasn't had to pry out of her. "Our father wasn't the only one that broke laws when he married her." She grips his hand tighter. "She was a Quincy."

He nearly trips at that. "… Is that why Ishida's been giving you weird looks this whole time?"

"Mmm. You're not as surprised as I thought you would be."

"Honestly, finding out the old man was some kind of noble was the most shocking." Enju snorts. "But I've never seen you use a bow."

"I'm not able to. _We're_ not able to." Enju hesitates. But she can't stop here. "The night that mother died, we lost our quincy powers."

"What?!" Ichigo comes to a full stop, turning to face her. "Is that why- why-"

"Why she died." She nodded. "And why I fell sick afterwards."

"But why? Who took those powers?"

Enju looks away at this point, and Ichigo's expression tightens.

"I can't tell you that."

"Can't?" Ichigo asks. "Or won't?"

"… Won't." She won't lie to him, at least. "But…" _Urahara told me not to. We can't let anyone know we know. It's dangerous to even know this much._ She has a dozen excuses and then some but she can't voice any of them. In the end, that's all they are - excuses.

Ichigo takes a deep breath and releases it in a tired sigh, but he brings his arms around her in a tight hug. "Thanks for telling me that much, I guess." He's glad she's at least trying, now.

They continue walking.

"Hey, are we related to Ishida, then?"

"… Yes."

Ichigo makes a face, that softens when Enju laughs.

* * *

The next few days pass without incident and before they know it, they're packing up the few things they brought and the many souvenirs and gifts they were given and preparing to head back to the world of the living. Ukitake will be the one sending them off, and Enju makes a face when she hears that, but waves away concerns.

"He's a reasonable man," she reassures them. They read between the lines to understand that they should still not trust him fully.

They're about to leave when Ukitake calls out one more time.

"This is a substitute shinigami badge-"

"Why would he need that?" Enju cuts in, and immediately Ichigo and his friends are on guard. Ukitake falters for only a split second, only noticeable because she was waiting for it.

"Well, knowing what Kurosaki-kun was like, I figured this would make things easier for him to move about unquestioned."

Enju tilts her head. "You already have a shinigami stationed in Karakura. And Ichigo isn't one of yours to command. He won't be doing any shinigami duties anymore, now that someone qualified is present."

Ichigo nods in agreement. "I only helped out because Rukia was out of commission at the time. I mean, if a hollow attacks me or a friend, I'd fight back, but that's allowed, right?"

There's an awkward silence.

"… You're kidding me."

"Ah… I'm afraid your situation is quite complex," Ukitake says.

Enju sighs and plucks the badge from the captain's hands. "Then I'll hold onto it." She can ask Urahara to make some sort of jammer. "We can always explain afterwards if we end up needing it. The badge demonstrates the right to act as a shinigami. It doesn't actually grant that right itself, correct?"

"Ah… I suppose so."

They say their goodbyes much more awkwardly after all that, though Orihime gives Rukia a tight hug. Then they're walking through the dangai, then running when the Janitor once again manifests, all of them cursing their luck, except for Enju who laughs.

Urahara is there to catch them when they fall, and Enju watches fondly as the man apologizes and is forgiven and then elbowed by Ichigo, in that order. They drop everyone off one by one, Ichigo and Enju being the last ones. Enju slips Urahara the badge before stepping off the floating carpet contraption and waving goodbye.

Karin and Yuzu are waiting for them when they return and throw themselves at their older siblings, Yuzu sobbing and Karin sniffling.

"Stupid Ichi-nii," Karin mutters. "Why'd you take so long?"

"Enju-nee," Yuzu blubbers. "I'm so glad you're all back. Did anyone get hurt?"

Ichigo and Enju freeze and look away from everyone guiltily, and the tears in Yuzu's eyes are swapped for an unforgiving glint as Karin gives a wet snicker.

Isshin watches from the stairs, surreptitiously wiping a couple tears. "Oh, Masaki. How they've grown. You would be so proud."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aaaand that finally wraps up the Soul Society arc //wipes sweat
> 
> Whew this chapter did not want to get written. I cranked the first half out fairly quickly and then got hit by the block to top all blocks. Gonna need more time for the next one to plan the next arc, hopefully it won't be as long of a wait though.


End file.
